


Power Corrupts

by TheBlackLagoon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Becuase those boys are great brothers, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, I don't take good care of these boys, I tried world building, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sad lance, Shiro is a canon gay so his boyfriends in this now, Slow Burn, Whoa, broganes, one perk to being a slow updater, reversed roles, sad keith, super powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-01-07 10:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12231291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackLagoon/pseuds/TheBlackLagoon
Summary: In a world of super heroes, Lance McClain-Sanchez just wants to fit in. He doesn't want his gift, and he definitely doesn't want to be forced to go to the worlds most prestigious and up tight boarding school for super human children. Keith Kogane just wants to find his brother, and he's sure the answer to his mysterious year long disappearance is hidden behind the walls of the Garrison. Through strange coincidence, and their seemingly tied fates, these two just might be able to help each other out.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so, I'm super excited to write this, mainly because new great idea's keep popping into my head, and I just- I have a lot of things going into this story. So I hope you guy's will enjoy it as much as me. I'm also totally nerding out over the whole super hero thing, and giving the paladins origin stories and powers that fit for them is just, it's very fun. So I hope you guy's enjoy my very long Prologue.

They called it the awakening, the beginning of a new age. They weren’t wrong. It appeared on Earth's satellites 5 days before it landed. From beyond that time, it looked as if the object hurdling towards the small blue planet, had just happened from nowhere. There was panic at first, talk of the end of the world. It was coming so fast, and there was no way to stop it. People prayed, pleaded, begged. And then- it slowed down. On the 5th day, it landed softly in a cornfield in Indiana. A quiet afternoon in autumn. The people of the Earth flocked to see it. To understand it. To theorize about it. But from what scientists could see, it was just a rock. Space junk. The reasons for it’s almost piloted like landing, couldn’t be found, nothing seemed out of the ordinary about this rock. Until Midnight struck the night of it’s arrival.

Those who were there described it as the hand of god gracing the earth. A halo of gold eerie light emanating from the asteroid, like some celestial being was about to erupt from it. The sensors that the scientists had set up to study the rock, went crazy, spouting off too many things to process. A shock wave had erupted from its core, and had apparently reached around the world. The entire earth saw the light shoot across the sky. No one could miss it. There'd been no damage inflicted it seemed, and at first, no one could tell what the energy wave had caused. People were in shock, worrying now, even more than before the asteroid hit. Was it radiation? Was it going to kill them? Was it dangerous? The answer was found in a hospital in New Zealand.

Her name was Isla, and she was born at 12:01, a minute after the energy wave hit. She destroyed nearly half her hospital wing with heat vision. It was only when she’d started to cry that it had stopped. The doctors and nurses in panic gave her a strong sedative, sure the minute she opened her tiny blue eyes, the damage would continue. Soon after Isla, reports of other super powered infants erupted all over. Super strength, shape shifting, invisibility, flight- you name it, the babies had it. No one knew what to do. The children were a danger. To others and to themselves. What were you supposed to do with a kid who could suddenly burst into flames? No parent, no matter how good, could deal with that.

That's when Altea labs had stepped up with a solution. The children now being born with powers would be sent to live and learn in their facility in the Applications. A secluded environment, with trained officials to help guide them into adulthood. These unfortunate parents could see no other option then in giving up their children. They followed suit when asked. So the lab took the kids, and they took the asteroid to study, and they locked their doors. When a new super powered baby was born, the doors were opened, but that was it. No calls could be made, no letters sent, all life in the mountains was hidden. It was the world's greatest kept secret it seemed. No one heard from those first few, until 18 years later. Altea labs released them, and the world was in shock. This first generation of super humans did well, they learned to control their powers, to handle them in real life situations. The world quickly acclimated to these super powered people. What a normal human couldn’t do, one of these supers could.

As the children grew older, and newer generations of super kids began to pop up, Altea labs knew they needed to grow along with them. So they started a program. They sent out their curriculum, their idea’s on how to teach these kids around the world. Soon schools were initiated across the globe to help control and nurture their gifts. Elementary through high school, they were prepared for everything. Powers became a new way of life. Only the old didn’t have them. But while these powers in great volume helped the Earth’s cultures grow, it’s common nature to see where good is, the bad follows.

In the beginning of the creation of Altea Lab’s school, Dr. Arthur Altea had it in his mind to get his hands on the asteroid that started the world wide phenomenon. Unfortunately, due to the stress and time needed to deal with the thousands of new applicants to his experimental school, his study of the alien rock never truly began. After his death, a good 40 or so years after the awakening first took place, Altea’s son, Alfor, a gifted Technopath, started the work the good Dr. never could. He quickly learned, and was amazed to find the indestructible capabilities of the rock. Alfor knew without a doubt the material’s mined from the asteroid could be used for momentous good. So he got to work on creating his life’s greatest project. His work was only known to him and a select few. His partner and good friend Zachary Gal, and his wife Minerva were the closest to the operation, and at times seemed to have more faith in it than even Alfor. Maybe though if he had realized sooner the effects of the asteroid, he could have stopped what happened to them next.

When it was finally completed, Voltron became the earth's most deadly weapon. But along with the completion of the weapon, came a dark turn in Alfor’s friends. Zachary and Minerva went rouge, tried to steal the weapon, claiming they had higher goals, beyond what Alfor had intended with its creation. They murdered in cold blood, the other four scientists they’d spent years working with, and they were going to kill Alfor. Alfor fought to keep them in the labs, trying and failing to reason with them, but to no avail. Seeing he had no other choice, knowing that they’d cause irrevocable damage if they were to leave with the weapon, he killed them. Crushed them beneath electronic debris from the lab. Alfor swore never to use his power again that night.

When their bodies were buried, Alfor split up the weapon, and hid its parts throughout the globe, knowing so few knew of their existence, they’d be safe. And so they were. Alfor left behind his sordid past, chose to focus fully on the schools his father had helped to build, and tried his best to help future generations of supers use their powers for better things. And from then it seemed the good outweighed the bad by enough. Alfor had a family, and a little girl. Voltron was forgotten, and memories of Zachary and Minerva were blurred. All was well.

Until the 60th anniversary of the awakening, in which the story really begins.

 

* * *

 

**(Lance)**

 

Lance had grown up near the ocean. He'd spent his entire life around it and in it. He loved the scent of the salty spray and the sound of the waves gently lapping the sand. He loved it all. And so did his family, all of whom had been gifted with powers to suit it. His mama, who had a temper like a boiling teapot, could do just that with her power. Boil water that is. His Papa who soothed any tantrum, could calm any wave (for a good distance at least). Lance's siblings, all five older than him, had powers ranging from communication with sea life, to saltwater healing. From a young age Lance had the right to assume that he'd be gifted with one of these such powers. He had no reason to think outside this realm of possibility. Because he loved the ocean.

He was ten when his power appeared. For the longest time he’d been worried, because kids usually received their gifts ages five to seven. All his friends had their powers, why hadn’t his manifested? But his Mama assured him, the longer the wait, the greater the power. So he had to trust that, when ever he did get his power, it would be the best in the whole family.

It happened in June, on a blisteringly hot day, where anyone and everyone was just looking for some shade to relax in. Lance and his sister Lucia had run down to the beach, heading directly for the sea caves at the edge of the water. There, they knew, would be refuge from the thick, sticky heat, clinging to their skin. Lance was the first to reach the cave, his long legs carrying him fast and quick across the sparkling sand of the beach. Lucia arrived, complaining greatly of her burned feet. The sand was near molten, but Lance had just laughed and said she was exaggerating, and that she must be a big baby to be complaining about warm sand. Lucia didn’t appreciate the comment.

The rest of that afternoon was spent exploring the chill caves, keeping close, giggling in the darkness. Now Lucia was twelve at the time, and though she was only two years older than Lance, she felt it was a great enough gap of seniority. She was still smarting over being called a baby, especially by her youngest brother. Her moment of revenge appeared when they found the tide pool near the back of the cave.

They’d rushed to explore it, tiny feet splashing slightly in the damp sand, as they peered into the small pool. A single fish was swimming back and forth, it’s silver scales flashing every so often in the light peeping in through a gap in the cave ceiling. Lance was captivated by the small creature, kneeling to get a better look. Lucia took a few unsure steps back, but noticed Lance wasn’t paying her a bit of attention. With a few more steps she was hidden behind a gap in the cave wall.

It only took a few more moments before Lance noticed his sister's disappearance. He stood quickly, his head swinging back and forth, trying to see where she could have gone. Panic was welling in his chest, because he didn’t know the way back out, and Lucia had promised, promised Mama she’d keep an eye on him. Had she really disobeyed her, and left without him? Or had something taken her? Was it pirates? Was she in trouble?

Lance quickly stumbled from his spot in the sand, and he was running to find Lucia, searching for pathways she could have taken, then something jumped out at him. It was a pirate he was sure, and the panic and fear in his chest tightened into a knot and something inside Lance seemed to snap into place. Raising his hands in defense,  warmth flickered across his arm, and then suddenly there was fire. Crackling, spitting, and illuminating the shocked face of not a pirate, but Lucia. Lucia who had no time to stop Lance who was running towards her, his tiny hands alight with burning blue flames.

The next thing Lance knew, Lucia was screaming, and the flames were out. They’d run headlong into each other, and Lance had grabbed onto her arm for support but- but he’d hurt her. And now, his older sister was crying, and calling out for Mama, and he had done this to her. He had the gift of fire, and he had burned her.

Without a second thought Lance bolted, not caring if he didn’t know the way out, because somehow he found it anyway. And he was stumbling, and kicking up sand, but he didn’t care because this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He wasn’t supposed to have power over fire. He wasn’t supposed to hurt people he cared about. He was supposed to control waves, or breath under water, or, or something. But not this. Not this.

They had found him hours later, asleep in the shade of a sand dune. Lucia, who had mostly just been shocked by the burn, had calmed down quickly enough to run and get her parents. But despite her constant reassurance to her little brother, that she was fine, not your fault Lance, you didn’t know, he still wouldn’t speak to anyone. He didn’t speak for weeks. And no one spoke of his gift. And no one mentioned Lucia’s scarred arm.

It was nearly a month after the incident in the caves when Lance started speaking again, just in monosyllables, but he was still speaking. It was finally, on a quiet afternoon that month later, that Lance’s Mama sat him down to talk. She told him many soothing things, just like any good mother would, but the one thing that struck him, was at the end of her speech. That while his power may not have been what he’d wanted, his real gift was making her laugh, and that was enough for her. Lance took it to heart. He couldn’t accept a power that caused damage, but he could accept one his Mama deemed him. He could make people laugh.

So that’s what he told everyone from then on, that his power was to make people laugh. His family stayed quiet, and his friends just chuckled when he told them, but no one ever asked what it really was. And so Lance was content.

But it never changed the fact the he was gifted with the power of fire. Of heat, and burning, and difference. Lance refused to use his powers. He promised himself he never would.

 

* * *

 

**(Keith)**

 

Keith had grown up in the desert, on the outskirts of a small town in Nevada. His mother and father owned a ranch, and they had a dog. Keith loved the ranch. He loved the roaming plains, and the grazing cows. He loved the feeling of the sun warm against his skin, he loved all of it. And so did his dad. Keith’s dad was the coolest in his eyes. His gift was fire resistance, and in the late nights when Keith was allowed to stay up, his dad would build and stoke camp fires with his bare hands. Keith loved his dad. And his mom- where could Keith begin with his mom? She was the best at everything. At cooking, and making him laugh, at riding horses, and soothing his tears. He wanted to be like her so badly, he wanted her talents, he wanted her power. Camilla Kogane’s gift was ice, and she didn’t like the ranch, with it’s heat, and it’s dryness. But Keith loved her anyway.

When he was five, Keith’s mother left, and with her went the ranch, and the dog, and a good portion of what Keith understood about life. When she was gone, his dad moved them out to Texas, for a new job, and some of what Keith knew about himself changed. He still loved the desert and his dad, but he hated the cold. Hated it with a fiery passion. It was the only thing that really truly reminded him of his mom. He didn’t even like ice in his drinks. He was also very angry. So angry, all the time. He couldn’t stop being angry. He had trouble making friends, and so it was just him and his dad. But Keith was fine with that. All he needed was his dad, who could hold burning coals in his hands. Keith wished more than anything to have his dad’s power.

Keith’s powers manifested when he was ten. It happened in June, on a blisteringly hot day. His dad left for the night shift at the oil rig, kissed him goodbye before he left, and walked out their apartment door for the last time. Keith woke up alone. He wasn’t worried though. He and his dad had their routine. Ben Kogane didn’t return from work until after Keith left for school. Keith would see him when he got home. So Keith made his usual breakfast of sliced tomato and eggs, and rode sitting alone in the back of the bus. The school day was normal, he kept himself from snapping at the teachers, and sat away from the other kids at lunch. He liked it that way, because then no one could choose to sit somewhere else when they got tired of him.

Keith walked home that night, letting the heated afternoon sun warm him. He’d been cold all day despite the heat wave they were experiencing. When he reached the apartment and his dad wasn’t there, he just shrugged his shoulders, and started his homework. Sometimes they kept his dad a little longer to do repairs on the gas flare since he could handle the heat better than anyone else. Keith knew his dad appreciated when he did his homework, and he was proud of the good grades he managed despite his disciplinary record in school. So he finished his homework, made himself dinner and watched Word Girl on their small T.V.

It was when his dad still wasn’t at home by 9 that Keith began to worry. He knew that the oil rig wasn’t allowed to keep him longer than 8. Keith waited another hour, and another, and another. It was one in the morning when Keith couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. His dad still wasn’t home. That morning Keith didn’t go to school. He sat, with his eyes peeled for any sign of movement outside their apartment. He forgot to eat breakfast and by the time lunch rolled around Keith was in far too deep a panic to eat anything. On the third day, he forced down cold leftover eggs, and stationed himself next to the window again. By the fourth day, Keith knew, without a doubt, something had happened to his dad. With that realization something within Keith Kogan snapped, and something else locked into place.

Something had indeed happened to Ben Kogane. As he’d been driving home, too late for anyone to be out, he’d fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed his vehicle into a tree. He was dead on impact. The police didn’t find him until four days later. He’d taken a shortcut on a small trail in the desert, he’d been hard to find. But it wasn’t until a week later when officials remembered to think of poor Ben Kogane’s son.

When they found Keith, he was alone, hungry and exhausted, curled into a ball on his father’s bed. The entire apartment was frozen. Ice coated every surface, shining and glistening brightly, sharp spikes of it sticking from the ceiling and floor. He wouldn’t speak. Not to anyone. And when child services collected him, he was like a small thin rag doll with no will of his own. He was in the system a year, moving from one house to the next. Keith didn’t care though. He was cold, and nothing could warm him anymore. That is, until the Shirogane’s took him in.

They’d originally taken him as a foster kid, and for the first few weeks Keith didn’t seem to acknowledge any of them, until Takashi returned from boarding school. Takashi who was tall, and strong and kind, and like every big brother trope Keith had ever read. Takashi who could make him laugh, and talk, and smile. Keith finally started to feel warm again. So it was decided, after some deliberation with the courts, that Keith Kogane, would become Keith Shirogane.

But Keith never shared his gift with his new family. No matter how many times he was asked, no matter how much they prodded and poked, his gift had no place in this new life of his. His gift stayed back in that apartment in Texas. It stayed back on that ranch in Nevada. It stayed with his mom. He didn’t need it, and he didn’t need her. Keith was happy, as happy as he could be with the Shiroganes.

But it never changed the fact the he was gifted with the power of ice. Of cold, and frost, and his mother. Keith refused to use his powers. He promised himself he never would.


	2. Another Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry I'm a day late, I was on vacation! But it's here, so enjoy! Also, those of you who commented, just gotta say, you literally made me blush, so thank you! All of you have read and liked the story so far, thank you so much! Hope you Enjoy

**(Lance)**

 

It was October and Lance was currently trying to convince his mother to let him skip school. He was fifteen, in dire need of haircut, and he really, really didn’t want to go to leave home tomorrow.

“But Mama, they're just doing some routine testing on higher powered kids, I’m not even in the group their working with,” Lance whined, flopping down into a kitchen chair. His Mama, much past the time where his complaints could woo her, just rolled her eyes and continued making dinner. But Lance was far from giving up. He stood up a grin in place, and moved over to help her cut carrots. She ignored him. It took peeling potatoes, slicing bread and tossing the salad before he could get another word in on the subject.

“Mama, I have the best grades in my year, I haven't missed a day of school since freshman year and I even had the flu then. Please, _please_ don’t make me sit through tomorrow inside doing absolutely nothing,” Lance begged, putting down placemats at the table. His mother gave him a sharp look as she put the chicken in the oven.

“Mijo, you _will_ go to school tomorrow, I won’t allow you to sit around at home all day. If you’re doing nothing at school tomorrow, you’ll have time to get ahead on homework. That’s the end of the matter.” Her voice was stern enough for Lance to pause, but that didn’t mean he was happy about the arrangement at all. For whatever reason he had a horrible feeling about tomorrow. But what did he know, he wasn’t gifted with premonitions, unfortunately.

“Mama- I wouldn't ask this if I didn’t-”

“I said _no_.”

“But-”

“No!” with that she slammed her hands on the kitchen counter, and Lance jumped backwards. She looked towards him with a frown, and he hung his head. With a small sigh she turned back to the counter.

“I’m sorry Mijo, I have- important things tomorrow, and I can’t be worrying about you home alone-”

“I’m a _babysitter_ , I can watch myself-”

“Mijo- stop, I’m your mother, and when I say I’d be worried for you, there’s reason for it- so please drop this. School will be fine,” her voice was quiet, and Lance sighed in defeat. School tomorrow, Lance knew, would definitely not be fine.

Dinner that night was silent. It was just Lance and Lucia in the house now, their older siblings having grown up enough to leave the house. Dinners though, were never quite, so to Lance it felt- it felt suffocating. But he didn’t have anything to say, at least nothing that his mother would want to hear. Lucia was staring at him across the table, as if to ask _“What did you do this time Tonto?”._ Which was unfair, _really_ , because 9 times out of 10, Lucia was the one to piss Mama off. He shot a glare back across at her, and turned to his father.

“Sooo- how’s work at the plant dad?” Lance asked, pushing around the food on his plate. His dad, with a slight chuckle, looked over at his wife, who was frowning down at her salad. He turned back to Lance to speak.

“ _Well_ , now that you ask, there was a break in last night,” his father said, a crease forming right between his eyebrows, something that happened to Lance as well when he was worried about something.

“They stole two containment units of plutonium, we’re not sure how they did it- or when. They weren’t picked up on the security cameras, and none of the guards remembered seeing anything out of the usual. The only reason we knew anything was gone was because we were supposed to be shipping those containment units today. I just can’t wrap my mind around it,” his father said with a sigh, and quickly took a bite of chicken. The news was odd, sure, but it wasn’t something that particularly struck Lance, so all he responded with was-

“Sorry to hear that, you won’t get in trouble for it though right?”

“No, no, but we’re having the police look into it- I wanted to call in the FBI, but my superiors said it wasn’t something to worry about,” his dad paused to huff out an angry laugh, “as if stolen plutonium isn’t a national emergency- as if bombs can’t be made from the stuff,” Lance’s father shook his head, and the whole table became just a little more tense. Lance kept his mouth shut for the rest of the meal, and when it was over he quickly placed his dishes in the washer so he could escape to the solitude of his room.

The bad feeling that had been sitting in Lance’s stomach since yesterday afternoon had gotten worse. He knew technically he had nothing to fear, the acceptance tests to the Garrison were for higher powered students, and Lance, Lance had never used his power in front of anybody. They had no reason to call him in tomorrow. None of his siblings had ever been tested, so he wouldn’t be. Of course that logic hadn’t exactly worked for Lance in the past. He wasn’t his siblings. Lance sighed, rolling over on his bed to stuff his face in his pillow. He had nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about. _Nothing_ to worry about.

It was a chant he repeated to himself until he fell asleep, but it didn’t make it true.

 

* * *

 

“McClain-Sanchez, Lance. Lance, McClain-Sanchez, please make your way to testing room C,” Lance froze, his pencil pausing over his pre-calc work. He glanced up in alarm at his teacher, who was nodding for him to get up. As he stood, his classmates eyes all swiveled to look at him, and he could feel their stares being drawn to him like magnets. He numbly took the hall pass she handed him, and pushed open the door. The passageway echoed ominously as he headed for testing room C.

Why had he been called in? He’d never used his gift at school, and sure he’d had to legally register as a Pyrokinetic, but he wasn’t- he wasn’t powerful, they had no reason to want to test him. His heartbeat was increasing steadily, and he was sure it was just as loud as his steps on the linoleum floor. He was so preoccupied with his heartbeat in fact he didn’t notice the  person running at him from the other end of the hall.

“Lance- Lance!” Lucia’s voice broke through Lance’s harried thoughts, and he looked up in surprise at her worried face. She came to a stop in front of him, placing a calming hand on his arm.

“Hey, you good? I heard the announcement, I had to I tell Mr. Guschwan I had a bathroom emergency to get out of class,” she said, slightly out of breath, and Lance just shrugged.  She pursed her lips and gave him a meaningful look.

“Look- I heard you won’t even have to use your powers- so don’t worry about that. They’ll hook you up to a couple electrodes and then it's over,” Lucia spoke, her voice quiet and Lance breathed out a long sigh. He pushed her arm off carefully, and then patted her on the shoulder.

“I’ll be fine Lucia, I’m not a baby- anyway, I’m sure this is just a mistake. I’m no more powerful than you, they’ll send me back to class in no time,” he said, a forcing a grin he knew she could see right through. She narrowed her eyes, and stood in front of him just a few moments longer, until she sighed and let him pass. He nodded to her slightly, his smile dropping and took off down the hallway again.

He arrived at testing room C out of breath, and the woman standing at the door gave him a nasty look before ushering him inside. Lance had never been in this section of the school before, and he was pretty sure he’d never want to come again. The room was larger than most of the classrooms, and the lighting wasn’t the greatest. The testing groups equipment only added to the Dr. Frankenstein feel of it, and Lance couldn’t even try to keep his pulse at a steady pace. The woman from the hallway gripped his arm tightly and led him farther into the room. Lance recognized a few students here and there, who like Lucia had told him, were indeed hooked up to electrodes. They passed maybe a dozen other stations before Lance himself was instructed to sit in an uncomfortable metal chair.

Lance fidgeted nervously for a few moments, glancing around at the machines blinking and beeping near him. This felt sketchy, this whole thing- he should have listened more carefully when his homeroom teacher had explained what they’d be testing for. He tried to think back, Mrs. Green had said something about acceptance to The Garrison he was sure- that was a pretty elite boarding school. But that still didn’t explain why he’d been chosen to take it. Kids had signed up weeks ago for it- either that or they were obviously powerful enough to be chosen.

Lance had not been part of either of those possibilities. Sudden footsteps approaching made Lance glance up to see a pale, blonde woman, in white lab coat heading in his direction. She smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes.

“You must be Mr. McClain-Sanchez. Quite the mouthful your name-” she said, her silky voice making Lance shiver slightly. Oh yeah- he did not like this woman. She was tall, and she was wearing heels that had her tower over Lance. She reminded him of a spider that way, with her long thin limbs and dark red lips. Lance swallowed visibly, and shifted in his seat just enough to appear taller.

“Yeah, most people just call me Lance,” he said quietly, and the woman smiled wide and sinister at his discomfort. She held out her hand, and Lance begrudgingly took it to shake. It felt to Lance like he was shaking the hand of a corpse. Was anything about this woman not unsettling? She took back her hand once they’d shaken, and moved to a table opposite Lance to pick up a clipboard.

“I’m Arana Lance, it’s nice to meet you. Now, you might be wondering why we called you in without you signing up, and that’s easy enough to explain. The Garrison, the school I work for, has had a special interest in Pyrokinetics, and it says here that _you’re_ a Pyrokinetic, is that right?” she asked, looking down at her papers. Lance clenched his fists, and his heartbeat picked up just the slightest.  

“Yeah but- I’m- I’m not incredibly comfortable with it- I don’t use my gift that oft-”

“Well, we’ll have to change that then, do you think you could show it to me now? It’ll help me with the test,” Arana asked, her sickeningly sweet voice causing some of the tension to ease from his shoulders. She smiled again, and this time it didn’t look so sinister, it was- it was actually really- really beautiful. Lance felt himself raising his hand, and unfurling his fingers. Something inside him, something deep with inside him unfurled as well, and it was like- it was like coming home. Suddenly a warm orange, red flame was licking across his palm, and he stared down at it in awe. What he been so afraid of? This was- this felt amazing.

“Very nice Lance, now just focus on that flame and I’m going to hook you up to my machines. Do you think you can keep the flame going that long, for me,” Arana asked, her voice soothing and Lance nodded numbly. He watched the flames flicker and shift in his hand, and he found himself grinning and giggling as they seemed to dance. It hit him suddenly that he could feel more power bubbling just beneath the surface, and that he wanted to unleash it. He’d kept hidden it for so long, what would be the problem in letting loose a little?

“All done Lance, you can stop now,” Arana’s voice broke through his thoughts like a knife, and the fire inside him and in his palm went out, and his stomach was turning uncomfortably. He stared down at his unlighted palm, feeling cold and empty. He slowly stood, unsure of himself, and looked to Arana for guidance, but she’d turned back to her machines in intense concentration. He wanted her to look at him, wanted her to speak some more soothing words to him. He wanted his fire back. Fortunately his stomach gave another sharp twist, and he shook his head to clear the cloudy feeling. He took a deep breath, and stepped out of the work station.

Lance walked with his head down until he reached the door, broken thoughts swirling around in his head. God, why did he feel so _ill_? He pulled open the door to testing room C, and nearly fell over as a figure latched onto him from the other side. He groaned softly as he wrapped one arm around Lucia, as he moved just enough to shut the door behind him.

“Dude I told you I’d be fine, it took like ten minutes then it was done,” Lance chuckled softly pushing Lucia away. He stopped when he saw her face.

“Lance- you weren’t- you weren’t gone for ten minutes-” she said quietly, and Lance shook his head in confusion.

“What do you- okay, so it was like twenty so what?” he asked her shrugging his shoulders to move past her, back to is class. Lucia moved to grab his arm, her face pinched in concern.

“Lance- you’ve been in their hours, what did they do to you?” the minute she’d spoken Lance’s blood went cold, and the nauseous feeling in stomach worsened. He turned to look back at the testing room door, and took a good few steps back from his sister and testing room C. He shook his head, trying to regain the breath that seemed to have been stolen from him.

“I don’t- I don’t know.”

 

* * *

 

Lance felt sick for a good week after his first meeting with Arana, with a pounding headache and frayed nerves. Lucia had a strong idea as to why that was, and she didn’t stop herself from sharing it constantly with Lance.

“She’s a hypnotist, she’s got to be. You’ve never- _never_ used your power before- and she’s with you  what?- five minutes, and _boom-_ you’ve seemingly overcome your five year long phobia. I’d bet all my money on it,” Lucia repeated this rant to Lance as she flopped down on his bed, and he looked up from his book to glare slightly. He sighed and closed his book, which he hadn’t really been paying attention to, and looked at Lucia meaningfully.

“Hypnotism is illegal without direct approval from the participant- the school wouldn’t have let her in if she was going to hypnotize kids,” Lance told her, and Lucia rolled her eyes.

“I don’t care what you think- you’ve been totally off ever since she worked with you. And hey- another question- why’s The Garrison even looking into Pyrokinetics? Hmm, you ever think of that- shit’s fishy, if you ask me,” Lucia said defiantly, crossing her arms, and Lance just frowned slightly while messing with the frayed edges of his blue comforter. What really worried him, was the Lucia was right. Dead on. Shit was fishy. And ever since Arana and her alluring voice had walked into his life- he had changed. Because for the first time ever, he’d felt the burning just beneath his skin- _constantly-_ and he couldn’t seem to turn it off. And it excited and terrified him at the same time.

 

“Lucia- just drop it okay- it doesn’t matter- it’s over and done with,” Lance smiled half heartedly at her, but she just narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She opened her mouth as if to say something more when their mother’s voice cut her off.

“Lance, mijo! The school called, said they needed to speak with us in person! Get down here please.” Lucia looked to Lance in confusion, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

Thoughts of expulsion and failed classes ran through his head, but he couldn’t think of why either of those things would apply to him. Why on earth had the school called? Had he failed the test Arana had given him so badly, that he was being taken out of school? Could they do that? They couldn’t right? These, and other such thoughts were what was on his mind as as he and his parents headed to the High School.

When the entered the office, Lance was prepared to defend himself for just about any case against him. That is until he was told to wait outside during the meeting. His Mama gave him a kiss on the cheek before she and her husband entered the room, and Lance sat, his heart sinking into his stomach. He was doomed. For whatever reason.

It took him exactly three minutes of fidgeting and anxiety before he decided to listen in. He checked to make sure that the secretary was deeply engrossed in her phone conversation, and slowly edged closer to the room. He placed his ear to the door, closed his eyes, and tried to pick up the voices from inside.

“-Lance is doing okay in school isn’t he- I can’t think of any other reason you’d call us in Ms. Stockhaus,” Lance could tell this was his mother, her voice high and clear enough to drift out of the room.

“No, no- Lance is fine, it’s quite the opposite actually- it appears that Lance is- well you are aware he took the Garrison admission test a few weeks ago?” Lance shifted uncomfortably, they did in fact _not_ know about that. He hadn’t exactly wanted to talk much about it, and who knew it was gonna come back to bite him.

“No- no we did not know he took that test,” his mother's voice had a distinct bite in it, and Lance frantically began to prepare himself for the lecture he was gonna get after this.

“Oh well- he did and- well, it’s amazing really- The results came back and- he’s a 9.5 on the 10 point scale. The Garrisons not even sure if that's a correct enough estimate since he hasn’t used his gift _ever_ . No one in the history of this school has seen an energy spike like his, I don’t think anyone in _Florida_ has honestly,” Lance was pretty sure he stopped breathing then, and maybe his parents had too because neither of them spoke either. There was a good ten second silence until Ms. Stockhaus broke it.

“This does mean however that- that Lance will _have_ to be moved to the Garrison’s facility,” This time Lance’s parents did make a fuss. Their angry voices were loud enough that Lance had to remove his ear from the door until Ms. Stockhaus regained their attention. Lance listened raptly to what she had to say next.

“I’m sorry Mr and Mrs. Sanchez, the Garrison is a government based program- I’m afraid Lance will have to be transferred next year. I mean with the amount of power he possess, we don’t have the proper tools to train him correctly. Just be happy he has the rest of this year, I think they're being lenient because he’s been off their charts for so long.”

Silence hung in the air- and Lance didn’t think anyone was going to break it this time. He pulled back slowly from the door, feeling numb. He didn’t feel lucky. He didn’t feel special. He was sick to his stomach with dread for what was about to come. And he had every reason to be.

 

**(Keith)**

 

It was October and Keith was currently trying to convince his idiotic older brother that a trip around the world was a useless endeavor. He was fifteen, in dire need of a wardrobe change, and he really, really didn’t want to be left alone.

“You don’t even _like_ Geology, why are you even going?” Keith asked, sitting down heavily on his brother's bed. Takashi just looked at him passively, while continuing with his packing. Keith, who never liked to be ignored, kicked at his brothers ankle, who easily stepped aside.

“Wow, are suddenly six again? And it’s not just geology we’ll be studying, the Garrison is funding all of Dr. Holts Archeological digs. It’s great experience for me, I’ll be piloting the whole expedition. Just think, you’ll get to say your older brother flew around the world,” Takashi said with a grin, closing his suitcase with a snap. Keith just huffed out a groan, and rolled back off the bed.

“Yeah, it’ll be great, you're my own Amelia Earhart,” Keith muttered, picking up one of his brothers many books on aviation.

“Earhart never completed her flight, is this your way of saying you hope I crash,” Takashi joked, but Keith looked at him with a enough panic, that his smile dropped immediately. With a sigh he opened up his arms, and with a slight roll of his eyes Keith went in to hug his brother.

“It’ll be over before you know it, and I’ll call every few nights, because you know mom would kill me if I didn’t. Then when I get back, I can finish my teaching degree, I’ll get an apartment near by- blah, blah, blah, future plans are horrifying, and that's it,” Takashi grinned, pulling back from the hug. Keith shook his head laughing slightly, and sat back down on the bed.

“I’m- just- I’m going to miss you man,” Keith said quietly, and Shiro smiled softly at him.

“I’ll miss you too, but hey- if Matt doesn’t kill me for it- I’ll totally steal you one of any priceless artifact’s we find. Just one though.” They both giggled for a few moments until Takashi kicked him from the room to continue packing. Keith stuck out his tongue at his brother, and headed back to his room content.

 

* * *

 

A month after Takashi left, on a monday night, Keith was crashed out on the couch. He’d unsuccessfully tried to study for a geography test until one in the morning, and had decided in his exhaustion to drop where he was. He was awoken a good twenty minutes into his sleep when he heard his phone buzz insistently on the coffee table in front of him. With a groan he reached to decline the call when he suddenly saw the caller I.D. _Takashi_. He was fully awake now, and Keith frantically scrabbled with the phone to place it next to his ear.

“Hey Takashi, I wasn’t expecting a call from you until tomorrow, I don’t think mom’s up but-” Keith was cut off suddenly by loud shouting and banging from the other line. Takashi’s voice cut through the noise, nearly unintelligible and panicked.  

“Keith! Thank god -- something- went wrong -- can’t talk long- ,” Takashi’s voice crackled in and out, and Keith bit his lip in worry.

“What are you-? I didn’t catch all that- What’s going on-” he tried to ask, but again the noise from the other phone seemed to block him out. Takashi continued talking.

“Keith- no time to explain-- they're coming for us and- just- just listen. The Garrison tricked us, had us digging for something- something big. You’ve got to promise me, if anything happens to me- do not look into it-don’t look into the Garrison-” Takashi’s voice was definitely panicked now, and it sounded as if he was running. But from what- Keith didn’t know.

“Shiro what are you talking about? What’s the Garrison got to do with anything-”

“Just promise me you’ll stay out of it, I’m in enough danger as is-” He was definitely running, and out of breath, and there were other voices yelling out, maybe Matt and Mr Holt. They all sounded scared. Keith was scared.

“If you’re in danger I’m going to help you Takashi-” he yelled standing, wanting to move, wanting to do something.

“I have to go- just- just stay safe, please.” and the line went dead, and Keith was left with a silent phone and a heart full of worry and dread.

 

* * *

 

 

The Garrison issued a report the next month of the deaths of three of their employees. Samuel and Matthew Holt, and Takashi Shirogane. Due to pilot error, their plane had crashed. No bodies found, little to no wreckage recovered.

When the Garrison came along with their acceptance test, Keith immediately signed up for it. When he was asked to use his power, he gladly froze the testing lab. There wasn’t much question as to if he was powerful enough to join. His parents didn’t say a thing, and they helped him pack quietly. They all knew something had to be done. Someone had to pay. Takashi wouldn’t die in vain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man my dudes, sorry Keith's part was so short, but I promise his pov's will be longer in the next few chapters. Also, holy cow- Season 4 is on Friday. I might end up being late again due to excessive crying. But, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comment anything you liked or disliked!! Thanks for reading!


	3. The Garrison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: Hey guys, I'm sorry for inactivity, but I felt like I had to re-write this chapter, or I wasn't gonna be able to move past it. So I did. Anyway, reread it if you want to, I just made some things clearer. And also a special thanks to all of you who liked and commented, I look to you when I'm struggling with inspiration to write. Hope you enjoy!!

**(Lucia)**

 

For the rest of the year that Lance had in Florida, he tried his best to forget where he’d be headed at the end of August. He tried to be normal, to carry on as if nothing had been said on the topic of his growing powers. But the decision to move him to the Garrison affected him. His grades slipped, he spoke back to his teachers, he snapped at his parents, he locked himself away in his room for hours on end. By the time the school year was over, the situation was at it’s worst. He only had three months until the Garrison, and he was different, and anyone who knew him could tell. And Lucia knew him, and she was worried. Unfortunately, Lance didn’t see it that way when she confronted him.

“Maybe I’m just sick of being the good kid, maybe I’m just done with people's crap Lucia,” Lance spat, and Lucia tried her best not to flinch at his tone. She shifted her casual position leaning against the doorway, trying to appear a bit more controlling. She was seeing now that her choice to come talk to him was something that needed to be done. She couldn’t let her brother act like this any longer, no matter how upset he was about the situation. Just because he was upset didn’t mean he could act like a dick. The whole family was upset, _she_ was upset. He didn’t get special privilege here.

“Lance- I’m just trying to help okay?” she tried, moving forward into the room, her hands up in a placating manner. Lance  looked at her, and rolled his eyes (he knew she hated that) and his mouth went up in a sneer (another thing she hated to see on his face).

“What are you trying to help me with exactly? I already have Mom breathing down my neck about how great an opportunity the Garrison is. Well that’s just swell but I don’t-”

“Would you cut the bullshit, just, fucking stop!” and he did, Lucia nearly snapped her mouth closed before realizing she was in the right this time. This time yelling at her brother was a good thing. She she took a breath, and narrowed her eyes at him, pinning him to the spot.

“Mama is at her wits end, but she’s not going to say anything bad because she’s fucking worried, and you’re acting like a goddamn asshole to her twenty four seven. So just stop- and listen to me- got it?” She was just as vehement as her last response back to him, and she could see her words had done the correct damage. Lance’s mouth snapped shut, and she could see his shoulders raise with tension. _Good,_ she thought, as she squared her shoulders to keep going.

“I know- I know you're worried about the Garrison, and about using your powers. But we’re your family Lance, and we’re not here as your emotional punching bags. We want to help, but you're making it really fucking hard-” Lucia finished, and she crossed her arms, staring her brother down defiantly. Lance wouldn’t meet her gaze though. As she’d finished, he’d sat down heavily on his bed, his head in his hands. Lucia didn’t move for a few moments, trying not give in to his lackluster demeanor. But he was her little brother, she couldn’t enjoy seeing him sad, even if he _had_ been acting like a huge asshole.

With a sigh she sat down softly next to him, placing her hand on his back gently. Lance looked up just enough for her to see tears streaking down his face, and she completely caved. She wrapped her arms around his wiry frame, and rubbed soothing circles in his back. Lance’s voice broke the silence, quivering and quiet, but Lucia listened closely.

“I’m sorry- I’m really sorry- I’m scared Lucia, I’ve never been away- from you and Mama and Papa. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it. I thought-” Lance hiccuped slightly, and Lucia patted his back reassuringly. He continued again. “I thought if I pushed you guys away- maybe I’d be able to deal with leaving you- but- it just sucks- and I don’t want this to be happening to me,” he finished, voice cracking, and Lucia squeezed her little brother just a little bit harder.

“It does fucking suck- but listen here Lance,” Lucia said her voice strong and determined as she moved away to look him in the eyes. “You’re the most amazing kid I know- you can charm the pants off just about anybody, you’ll have that place wrapped around your finger in no time. You’ll have so many new friends you’ll barely think about me. And who cares if you’re a fucking powerhouse when it comes to your gift- that’s what the schools for. You won’t stick out, and you’ll be just fine- You got that?” She asked, shaking his shoulders slightly, and even though Lance wasn’t truly smiling, she could tell he was trying not to. He had his usual look back in his eyes, with the little crinkles that only appeared when he was happy. She hadn’t seen enough of that lately.

“I got it,” and he _was_ smiling now, just barely, but it was good enough for Lucia, who quickly brought him in for another bone crushing hug. He heaved out a labored breath, and she pulled back grinning.

“Well- what are we sitting around here for? Get your ass up, we’re heading to the beach,” Lucia yelled at him, as she jumped from her position on the bed. Lance chuckled, and suddenly she felt pretty great. At least she could spend these last three months keeping her brothers anxieties at bay. It was the least she could do for the kid.

  


**(Lance)**

 

Those three months went far too fast for Lance. While he had gotten out of his angsty funk, he’d still lied awake at night, worrying himself into exhaustion. Which he knew wasn’t good for him, he understood how important beauty rest was, but still his insomnia persisted. Lucia was his saving grace, because he was sure without her he’d have been much worse off. That didn’t mean of course, that it made it any easier for him to leave his home and his family to go live in the Appalachian Mountains. Yeah- that still sucked. But Lance wasn’t going to let that show anymore. Lucia had been right- his family didn’t deserve the weight of _his_ problems.

“Do you have your sleep mask, I know you can’t go to bed without it, and I’m not wasting money sending it to you in the mail-”

“I’ve got it Mama- we went over my suitcase nearly ten times,” Lance sighed, rolling his suitcase down the airports linoleum floors. His Mama, and Papa were following behind him, pestering him with questions every few seconds. He knew they were trying to help make sure he’d be alright, but they were just stressing him out. Lucia, amazing, wonderful Lucia, silenced their Papa as he opened his mouth to ask another of his many queries.

“Guys, Lance is all set, you're just being annoying and parental right now,” Lucia said with a sigh, placing a hand on both their parents shoulders. Mama scoffed loudly, but thankfully, didn’t speak another word until they reached the security checkpoint. There, they all paused mournfully, not looking at each other, but instead, ahead at the long lines of people waiting to get to their terminals.

“I guess- I guess this is where I leave you guys,” Lance swallowed, trying to fight the sting in his eyes. He really didn’t want to tear up in front of them.  He knew first hand his mother and father were both very sympathetic criers. Lucia was the first to move in for the hug, her long thin arms wrapping around his shoulders. The next thing Lance knew they were huddled together, and yes, they were all definitely crying.

“Oh mijo, call us every chance you get, and remember when you get off the plane, there’ll be a car from the school to pick you up,” his mother said, tearing herself away from the group hug, wringing her hands in worry. Lance smiled sadly at her, and nodded his head. His father stepped away next and fixed him with a fond look.

“The Garrison has the best science course you could possibly have a chance to take anywhere. Tell me how those chemistry classes go, it wouldn’t surprise me if you're the best student they’ll have,” his father said, and patted him on the shoulder while simultaneously wiping tears from his eyes. Lance would miss geeking out with his dad over chem class. Finally, Lance had to extract himself from his sister's embrace, who was struggling with a copious amount of water leaking from her eyes.

“Just don’t get into trouble _tonto_ , okay?” Lucia managed, as she tried and failed to stop her tears.

“I can’t promise anything,” he whispered, and pulled back with a smirk. He could see Lucia’s eyes widen in surprise, and then a miniscule smile flickered onto her face. Lance felt torn, he had the very overwhelming urge to drop his bags and run from the airport, and try to forget he had an obligation to head to the Garrison. But he knew. He knew he had to go. Lance grabbed his sister for one more quick hug, probably squeezing too hard. Before he lost his nerve, Lance pushed away from his family with the quietest of goodbyes, and headed through to the security check.

 

* * *

 

The flight seemed short to Lance, but that could probably be attributed to the fact he was asleep near the entire way. He wasn’t sure how he had relaxed enough to drift off, but he had, and within twenty minutes into the trip. When he awoke, it was only because the kind old lady sitting next to him that had shaken him softly. Lance felt like a zombie as he left the airplane, collected his baggage, and tried in vain to find the Garrison’s car. The small airport of Tucker County was packed to the brim with people. Very _pushy_ people. But finally, just as Lance was able to fend himself off from an angry group of middle aged woman, he spotted his name.

 **_Lance McClain-Sanchez_ ** , was printed in precise, black lettering, and with a labored sigh of relief, Lance barreled through the rest of the unhappy crowd. When he reached the sign holder, Lance was met with a nondescript looking man in a dark green suit. He looked at Lance once, turned around quite suddenly, and headed for the outdoors. Seeing as he had no other option, he followed as quickly as he could behind. Lance assumed the man had been given his picture, and therefore knew it was him, either that or the guy could easily see the panic of a new student trying to find their way.

The school car was parked right out front, a gleaming black vehicle that sparkled in the bright sunlight. The driver got in without a word, and Lance opened the door with a sigh. Apparently speaking wasn’t a Garrison thing. Getting to know people was going to be harder than he’d thought.

The rest of that car ride was tense and quiet, and Lance had trouble not thinking of home, and the constant chatter and noise that usually surrounded him. He clenched his fists in agitation, and sharply turned is gaze to look out the window, trying his best to appreciate the different landscape. Florida was flat, but the same could not be said for West Virginia, where miles of rolling hills were spread out before him. At least that's something he could get used to seeing.

It took a good hour to reach Black Ridge mountain, the home of the Garrison. Like everything else he did, Lance’s chauffeur _silently_ exited the car, and opened the back door for Lance. He also didn’t speak as he led Lance up an intricately paved, stone trail, where at the end a small building sat tucked into the ridge of the mountain.

    “You’ll wait here for the lift, I have elsewhere to be,” Lance nearly jumped out of his skin as the man spoke, his voice a loud rasp. Without another word, the driver bowed his head slightly, and walked off back to the car. Lance stared open mouthed at him as he drove off, leaving the sixteen year old wondering what the hell he’d been forced into. Taking a steadying deep breath, Lance glanced back to the building, and headed in it’s direction. He slowly approached, trying to look in through the dimmed windows, but could make out nothing. With a sigh, he tentatively knocked on the door to the building.  Immediately it swung open, and Lance stumbled back in surprise.

    He was now faced with giant of a guy, who was smiling kind heartedly down at him. Lance couldn't help but smile back. So maybe not everyone was as cold as his driver had been. The man in front of him stuck out his hand, which was covered in grease, but Lance, being the polite boy he was raised to be, took it and shook.

    “You must be Mr. McClain, I’m Theo, _just_ Theo mind you, why don’t you come in?” Theo asked, gesturing inside to the warmly lit room. Lance nodded slightly, stepping into Theo’s shack. It looked like a control room on one side, all pristine gears, buttons,and blinking lights, but the other side- the side which appeared to be _just_ Theo’s, was in dire need of a good clean. Water jugs, and plates were strewn about the table tops and floors, and the fireplace in the corner was a mess of ash and dust. The rest of the available space was filled with books. Lance wasn’t sure how someone could fit that many books into such a tiny space and still have room.

A small cough sounded behind Lance, and he turned to see Theo, lifting up and putting down a few items, as if he was hurriedly trying to clean.

“I’m sorry for the mess, we don’t usually get many kids who have to come up from this way. They either have one of our teleporters bring up kids, or one of the flyers. But, it’s been kind of busy up there, and I guess they’re spread a little thin so they’re bringing the old lift into use again,” Theo mumbled apologetically, giving up on his cleaning endeavor, and placing his things back in their spots. Lance only smiled at him, and took a seat on an empty stool near the fireplace.

“Uh- so about the lift?” Lance asked politely, while picking up a book on the History of Spies that was sitting next to him. Theo nodded slightly, glancing out the window.

“Yes, yes- it has to come down from the top of the mountain, I called for it as soon as I saw you and Ulysses pull up. It should be here in a good ten or so minutes.- Would you like some tea?” Theo asked suddenly, moving over to a small kettle that was positioned over the fire. Lance shook his head mutely, shifting his duffle bag onto the floor with sigh.

“Well if you don’t mind, I think I’ll make myself a cup,” Theo smiled warmly, grabbing the kettle with one hand, while picking up a displaced mug from a nearby table. As the water poured into the cup Theo sighed in agitation.

“I don’t know how this waters still lukewarm- no matter,” Theo shrugged, and suddenly flames were sparking across his fingers, flickering across the mug of water. Lance stared in shock as Theo warmed his tea, entranced by the small orange flames. Theo glanced at him with a small smile.

“Never seen a Pyrokinetic?” he asked, not unkindly, and Lance shook his head quickly.

“No- no I’m a-” but he didn’t get to finish his sentence as Theo sprang from his spot near the fireplace, and towards the door. Lance noticed the lift had arrived. Struggling only slightly, Lance picked up his duffle bag, and grabbed hold of his suitcase racing towards the door with Theo. The lift, Lance noticed, as he and Theo came to a stop outside, was a small box, just large enough it seemed it could hold two people. It was also unmanned. Lance tried to forget his fear of heights.

“Well Lance, it was nice meeting you,” Theo said, pushing him towards the machine. Lance nodded numbly as he boarded the rickety looking lift. The doors to the lift closed slowly, cutting him off from Theo, who was waving cheerfully, and Lance smiled back weakly.

 

* * *

 

Lance spent the entire trip staring fixedly at the ceiling, and nearly fell to the ground in relief when he finally reached the top of Black Ridge mountain. There the atmosphere was greatly changed. The lift opened out into a large green courtyard. The Garrison itself, was an imposing white building, rising into the clouds and mist of the mountain. It was also crowded with busy looking adults and kids, all clothed in similar dark green blazers, and suit pants. Lance wasn’t sure he was digging the uniform choice here.

The doors to the lift suddenly opened noiselessly, and he stepped off gazing around in curiosity. WIthin seconds though, he was greeted by a peppy looking brunette.

“New student?” She asked, clicking a bright pink pen, and poising it over the clipboard she held tightly. Lance nodded, and she smiled widely at him, scribbling madly.

“Name please?” She looked up again at him, and for a second he blanked. She had cat eyes. Bright yellow, with slitted oval pupils. He swallowed thickly and tried to focus on another feature of her face. He settled on her nose.

“Lance. Lance McClain- Sanchez,” he muttered, and the girl nodded vigorously, still writing stuff down on her clipboard paper, rapid fire. And then she had his arm in her tiny grasp, and she was pulling him past the crowd of muttering students. They entered the school with a bang, and Lance tried to apologize to the other kids, as Cat eyes led him further into the brightly lit facility.

“Ms. Aurantia, I’ve got a Mr. McClain here for you,” Lance nearly choked on his spit when Cat eyes stopped in front of- yeah it was her- the woman from his school. Arana. She turned to Lance with her silvery grey eyes, and strained smile. A familiar bout of nausea swept through him as she leaned forward to take his hand to shake.

“How wonderful to see you again Lance, I hope my assistant Dena has been welcoming enough,” she said, looking over to Cat eyes, who Lance guessed was Dena. Dena nodded vigorously, and Lance could sense just a tinge of fear in her boisterous appearance. Arana’s eyes moved back to Lance, and he tried not to recoil from her too much. Lance may not have believed Lucia’s claims of the woman being a hypnotist, but that didn’t mean he trusted her.

“Well, thank you Dena, for notifying me of his arrival. I’ll be seeing you around Lance. I’m the English instructor here. Of course I’m head of C block, students specialized in shapeshifting and matter control. You’ll be staying in the B block building, take him there for me Dena?” Arana asked, and with that, she swept her long blond hair over her shoulder. She looked even paler now in her dark green suit, and Lance wondered absently if the woman was a vampire. There was a tap at his shoulder, and he turned to see Dena motioning impatiently. He turned away from Arana, and followed Dena quickly down the winding hallways of the Garrison.

Lance tried his best to map his way, but after the first ninety mixtures of right and left turns, he gave up. It was only a good ten minute walk to his room, but to Lance’s feet it felt a lot longer. Dena stopped in front of the door, and shoved a hand into her blazers pocket and took out a key card which she she handed him.

“This’ll be your room key this year. I suggest not losing it- administration doesn’t like to hand out too many. Safety precaution,” Dena said, and Lance took the key card eyeing it warily. He was notorious in his household for misplacing things. Turning to the door he swiped the key, and the door slid open with a beep, and he and Dena entered the spacious room. The first thing Lance noticed though, was not the very nice looking bathroom, or the bookshelves brimming with interesting reads, but the fact there were two beds. Dena noticed where his eyes had traveled.

“Oh yes, you do have a roommate, I don’t know if that was mentioned in the Garrison’s informational letter. You won’t be meeting him till orientation tonight. Roommates at the Garrison are special, you’re chosen for one another based off your entrance exam scores- _but,_ I’m getting ahead of myself, you’ll learn all this and more tonight,” Dena said in a rush, her luminescent cat eyes widening in excitement. Lance just kept staring at the other bed, wondering who on earth he’d been placed with.

 

* * *

 

Dena had left Lance alone, saying she’d be back in an hour to collect him for orientation. Lance had waved her out, and then promptly collapsed on the bed to the left. He didn’t have the energy to unpack just yet, he’d probably have to do it in the morning before classes began, but he was an early riser. He stared up at the ceiling forlornly, the distance between him and his home hitting hard. He swept an agitated hand through his hair, reveling in the feeling of it’s unnatural shortness. He cut it before he left. Lucia had been upset, because now it barely had any of its signature curl to it. But Lance liked it like this, it was much easier to style in the mornings. Before it had just been too much of a hassle trying to make his usual mop of curls look presentable.

Feeling suddenly irritable Lance got up with a groan, glancing at the door thoughtfully. Dena hadn’t said he couldn’t look around before orientation, had she?

 _Fuck it_ , Lance thought, and he headed for the door. He grabbed his key card, and slipped out into the passageway, looking left and right. He probably looked way too suspicious for his own good, but he was careful none the less as he exited his room and started down the opposite corridor he’d come from. He walked casually then, hands deep in the pockets of his jacket as he looked around for anything interesting. But as Lance delved farther and farther into B block, he realized it was all just student housing.

Lance groaned slightly, and glanced back down the way he’d come. He’d been walking for some time, and he still had to get back to his room. What time had Dena said orientation was?

Lance was just wondering if wearing a watch was a fashion statement he wanted to live with, when he noticed too late, a boy in a red sweatshirt barreling down the corridor to his left.

Lance stumbled back, as the boy raced by. He hit the wall with a slight thud, his eyes widening in surprise. The boy, an asian kid with hair so wild Lance wondered if he’d ever heard of a hair brush, glanced back, his eyes narrowing into a glare. Lance watched as the boy turned back round, and continued his fast pace jog down the hall. Lance stayed put for a few more moments, trying to shake the feeling something important had just happened. With a huff of annoyance, Lance shook his head, his last fleeting thought of the running boy, was _what an-_

  


**(Keith)**

 

    - _Asshole,_ Keith thought, after stumbling slightly right into a tanned, thin boy. The boy in question stared at him with wide eyes. Keith noticed as he passed, the guy had blue irises. Nearly the exact color Keith pictured for the ocean. Keith narrowed his eyes at the kid, quickly turning his head back to the front as he continued his steady jog. Now was not the time to be ogling his peers. Not that there’d be anytime for that, but right now- right now was definitely not it. He was late for orientation, and he refused to make a bad impression his first day at the Garrison.

 

* * *

 

    The day hadn’t started off so bad. He’d left from the airport in Iowa, his parents, the Shirogane’s had been there to hug him goodbye, and make sure he had everything prepared for his time at the Garrison. Their farewell had been- final. At least that’s how it felt to Keith. He wasn’t going to forget his mother's last words to him as he’d headed off.

    She’d walked him to the very edge of airport security, her tiny hands clasped protectively around his arm. Keith didn’t consider himself a tall person, but he dwarfed Kumiko Shirogane. He’d held on to her just as tightly as she did him, and turned to her with thinly veiled tears in his eyes. She’d taken a shaky breath, and cupped his face carefully.

“Keith, you are my _only_ son left, please, if you ever think you're in danger at that school- do not _hesitate_ to leave. Call me and I’ll teleport to you as soon as you’re out of their shielding,” she’d whispered to him, her eyes wide with motherly concern. He’d nodded numbly at her, and she’d hugged him tightly to her tiny frame. He’d hugged her back just as hard.

Even if she wasn’t his biological mom, she was a hundred times better than anything he could have asked for. She’d let him go then, thick, heavy tears evident in her eyes, and Keith waved goodbye one last time as he headed through to the security check.

    He knew she’d give anything to keep him from leaving her, but Keith knew it had to be done. Even if his parents were worried about the dangers lurking behind Garrison walls, they knew that nothing would stop him from leaving to find what happened to his brother, their son. Keith was just happy that they’d agreed to his idea. They didn’t think he was crazy for believing something was wrong, and they knew it all pointed to the school on top of Black Ridge mountain.

 

* * *

 

Keith had been given a senior counselor to guide him to his room as soon as he arrived. A flyer named Michael. They’d met at the base of the mountain, and Keith was pretty sure, from his brief encounter with the guy, that he did not give two shits about his job. Which was lucky for Keith, because while Michael had floated lazily ahead of him, it was easy to sneak away unnoticed once they had started the tour.

He’d get to his room later. _Now,_ now he needed to scope out the building. Or buildings to be more precise. It was- a lot bigger than he’d anticipated. Keith sighed, as he glanced down the _fiftieth_ , identical, brightly lit hallway he’d come across. He was pretty sure he was still in the B block building.

Maybe first day hadn’t been the best time for this. He didn't know his way around yet. He couldn’t seem to find the classrooms, let alone any important out of limits offices. He was also late for orientation, now that he checked his watch. Michael had made it _very_ clear, even in his own apathetic way, that orientation was not to be missed. You got your roommate there. This, he knew the importance of from Takashi’s time at the Garrison.

His brother had been paired with some girl- Leia? Leanna? Something like that. But the point of their partnership had been for training purposes. You and your partner were to spend the year learning how to work with not just your own power, but with someone else’s as well. Together, you learned valuable lessons of teamwork, and how to control your powers to the best of your ability. Keith just hoped his partner wouldn’t get in his way too often. That’s the last thing he needed on his mission against the Garrison.

Keith glanced at his watch again. Yeah- he was definitely late. If he headed back the way he’d come, he’d have to find Michael that way. Or _someone_ in one of those ugly green uniforms. He was not looking forward to having to wear those. With a sigh, Keith hitched his duffle bag higher up onto his shoulder, and began a steady and fast jog back the way he’d come. And that’s where he’d seen the boy. The blue eyed boy, who he’d totally, _accidently_ slammed into a wall. He hadn’t even apologized.

Keith was pretty sure that’s something Takashi would have reprimanded him for. “ _You’ve got to get better at that Keith, even if it’s an accident, you say sorry kid,”_  his brother’s voice seemed clear in his mind. He winced slightly, but shook it from his head. He was going to have to deal with a lot of dredged up memories of Takashi here, he better get used to them now.

 

* * *

 

In the end Keith did find Michael, who had decided to fly slowly around, looking for him. Keith wasn’t sure if usage of powers was allowed in the corridors, but obviously Michael did not care, so Keith walked as Michael bobbed along, a good foot off the ground.

“Look dude, rules here may be lax for new kids like you, but if they learn I let you go off unsupervised I’ll have my ass handed to me, okay?” Michael pleaded forlornly, and Keith almost felt bad for him. The guy was pretty pathetic, and he’d consider listening, if it wasn’t for that fact Keith was already planning many ways to sneak off unattended.

They reached orientation just a few minutes late, both finding seats in the back unnoticed. Keith shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying his best to not think of the many things these people were hiding from him. He looked forward at the auditorium setup, and at the four figures up on stage. One woman was speaking now, standing center, false light shining down on her blonde curls. Her eyes were a pale grey, flashing cold, and cool as she gazed upon the students in the audience. Her voice carried through the crowd easily, and Keith couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to her.

“Hello students, most of you already know my name, but to those who are new, I’m Ms. Aurantia, I’m the lead teacher for C block, children gifted with shapeshifting or some form of matter control,” to one side of the auditorium, a group of kids suddenly cheered, their voices loud and clear. Keith assumed these were C Block members. Ms. Aurantia smiled benignly at the disrupters, her thin, red lips split into a smile. It made Keith shiver seeing it appear on her face, it looked painful and unpretty. Ms. Aurantia continued her speech as the C Block kids quieted their whoops and yells.

“Here with me I have _Mr. Iverson_ , head of A block, those gifted with brute force, and explosive powers. _Mr. Batista_ , head of D block, those gifted with powers of the mind. And finally, our oldest and most dear _Mrs. Anderson_ , head of B block, those gifted with elemental or regular powers. From this point on, your block groups are your family. You will eat together, share classes, work together to strengthen your powers. Now, those of you who are new, you should all know your block’s, because they coordinate with your powers. But you should have also have had one of our seniors meet you, as you arrived today to show you to your specific housing building. I hope that nothing went amiss in that department,” at that Ms. Aurantia looked directly at Keith. Her eyes, which he had thought from this distance to be grey, were so much more. They were all the colors swirling and tumbling over one another. They were ever changing and hungry. Hungry for- hungry for what? And then her gaze was off him, and Keith let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He felt a deep chill instill itself within his bones as she continued to speak to the crowd. A chill that was nothing like his familiar cold. It was a sinister chill.

“We are not your only teachers, but we are your head teachers, and you will receive disciplinary hearings from us, as well as counseling of any sort that you might need,” Ms. Aurantia smiled again, toothy and ingenuine. Keith thanked his lucky stars he was not in C block. Counseling from her, he was sure, was just as bad as a disciplinary hearing.

“Class schedules will be distributed tomorrow morning at breakfast, so we won’t worry about that now. We will of course- be giving you your roommate assignments. Our elder students, and those who have already been assigned roommates in previous years may leave now, but those who still need to be matched stay seated,” at her words, a majority of the audience got up to leave, streaming out the doors, chattering indistinctly around Keith. He wished they wouldn’t go. The more people around him, the less chance he had of meeting the eyes of Ms. Aurantia again. But leave they did, until finally there were a only a few dozen kids left here and there. Michael was still seated next to him, but he looked half asleep.

Keith watched with relief though as Ms. Aurantia took a seat, and the elderly Mrs. Anderson took her place at the podium. She gazed down at the frightened faces below her, her wrinkled face giving nothing away. Her voice came out quiet but powerful.

“I don’t know how much our seniors may have shared about the- matching process for roommates here at the Garrison, but it is an extremely important fixture here. Your roommate, your _partner_ , will be by your side the entirety of your time at this school. Most bonds formed though, last even longer. You are chosen specifically for one another, based on your powers, and how well they mesh. Once you are brought together, you of course will share a room, but also something much more important. You will be teammates in our Battle Sequencing. -Battle Sequences will be a mixture of tasks and drills that you will compete against the other blocks for. Your roommate is your partner, and you are expected to learn to work together to the best of your abilities,” she paused to take a breath, and the audience, including Keith, leaned forward in their seats to hear her final words.

“Our head senior boys and girls will be giving you your assigned partners, you may be excused” Ms. Anderson finished, and suddenly the quiet, still room was filled with bursts of noise, and movement. Keith glanced around at the pandemonium, looking back at the teachers, who were making their way off the stage into the crowd. He lost sight of Ms. Aurantia as Michael, who was now fully awake, grabbed Keith by the arm to tug him to the left.

“Where are we going?” Keith asked, annoyance seeping into his voice as he pulled his arm roughly from Michael’s grasp. The other boy only grabbed hold again, and continued leading him towards something. Or someone. A girl with bouncy, brown curls stood in front of them, her back turned as she faced another kid. It appeared she was scolding him for something. They stopped behind her, and Keith tried to peer over Michael's shoulders at the two new kids.

“Hey Denna, that your new recruit,” Michael asked, and the girl- the girl with _cat eyes,_ turned her glare to Michael. It suddenly softened though, when she realized who it was.

“Oh yes- yes- want to make the introductions?” She asked politely, stepping aside from the boy she’d been reprimanding. Michael nodded and grabbed Keith by the arm again to pull him forward into view.

“Keith Shirogane, this is your roommate, and teammate, Lance McClain,” Michael smiled, gesturing to the tall kid next to him. A boy with blue eyes. _Ocean_ blue eyes.

 _Shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment anything you liked, disliked- I hope you enjoyed this chapter. They finally met!! Yay!!


	4. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, okay- listen- I have a completely justified reason for being so late with this chapter- and that is that I had a tremendous amount of writers block. Thankfully for you guys, that writers block ended when I woke up in the middle of the night to finish this thing. So- you're welcome. Thank you so much to those of you who commented and liked- you know I appreciate you guys. Anyway- here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy!

**(Keith)**

 

Keith stared at the boy- Lance- trying to discern whatever emotion was showing on his face as he readied himself for bed. It was neutral enough, but Keith could swear he could see annoyance flashing in his eyes. Keith was already laying down, refusing to undress at all in front of someone else. He’d only shucked off his shoes. Lance, it seemed though, had an extensive setup for sleep. There was the facial, the sleep mask, the headphones, the _fan._ If Keith wasn’t better at sleeping literally anywhere he might have been upset by it all. But he wasn’t, and it gave him time to watch his new roommate.

They’d both been released relatively quickly after the Orientation, and neither had spoken a thing after being introduced. He was sure Lance recognized him from the hallway, because his shoulders were tense, and a frown was etched onto his soft featured face. Not that it bothered Keith if Lance was angry about being run into. He didn’t need to talk to him to learn about him. Keith learned about people from their actions, not words. It worked for him in the past, and it hadn’t failed him yet.

At least that’s how he always rationalized his tendency to stare at new people. So looking intensly at his roommate wasn’t odd. It wasn’t.

Of course- it didn’t help that he wasn’t bad to look at either.

Keith gritted his teeth and rolled over so his back was facing the other bed, and tried to will himself to relax. He should definitely _not_ be checking out his roommate. For one, they’d be living together for the year, and considering it was Keith, things would get awkward real quick. Second of all, he had much more important things to worry about. The fact Lance McClain-Sanchez looked great in his tight, grey night shirt, was _not_ one of those things. And most importantly, Lance didn’t seem to like him, which- okay- he had roughly shoved him into a wall for their first meeting. But that had been an accident because he’d been in a hurry. Surely Lance knew that?

 _But it doesn’t matter_ , Keith thought forcefully. _You don’t need him to like you_. Keith sighed and pulled his pillow closer, closing his eyes tightly.

“Are you sleeping in _skinny jeans_?” Lance’s voice surprised Keith enough that he sprang up from his resting position. The other boy was staring at him, his face encrusted with a drying face mask. Keith glanced down at his dark wash jeans in confusion. He looked up again at Lance, his eyes narrowed in confusion. What was wrong with his skinny jeans?

“What do you care?” He asked, crossing his arms defensively. Takashi would have said he was trying to seem as standoffish as possible. And maybe he was. Maybe what he needed right now was to be left alone. Whatever he wanted, it had the desired effect on Lance, who squinted his eyes, and tensed his shoulder reflexively in his agitation. Then to Keith’s relief, he blew out a forced sigh and turned back to readying his bed.

“Whatever, do what you want,” Lance said scoffing meanly. There was quiet again, and  Keith only watched Lance for a few moments longer, until he flipped off his nightstand lamp, and the room was washed into darkness. Keith sighed quietly, and turned to stare at the wall. At least he knew he was good at being mean. He could make enemies a lot better than friends.

 

* * *

  


Keith awoke to his phone’s alarm, which shattered the tomb like atmosphere of his dorm room. He nearly fell out of bed fumbling to turn off the shrieking _beep, beep, beep_ , but he managed well enough. He yawned slightly, and looked over at the still form of Lance. His headphones were apparently noise canceling. With a heavy sigh, Keith pulled himself from bed, and zombie shuffled his way to the bathroom.

With a few mumbled curse words, Keith floundered around in the bathroom to find the light. When he finally flicked it on, he hissed in annoyance as he caught sight of his reflection. He looked pale and tired in the weak lighting of the bathroom. He leaned forward and drew a hand over the bags under his eyes. They looked dark enough to be bruises. He pulled back with a sigh, turned to the bathroom door, then closed and locked it quietly. He quickly striped off his red sweatshirt, along with his black t-shirt underneath. He avoided looking in the mirror this time.

He finished undressing and headed to the shower, pushing back the glass door and stepping onto the cold tile with a shiver. He immediately turned the handle the hottest it would go, only flinching slightly as the water stung his skin. He always assumed it was his gift that enabled him to do this, but no matter how hot he turned his showers, the water always felt lukewarm. It was just another curse of his power. He washed himself quickly, only briefly noticing that the soap provided smelled of lavender. He tried his best to brush out the tangles in his hair, combing his fingers through a few of times before giving up.

He turned off the water after a couple of minutes of standing in the spray, gazing absentmindedly at the pristine, white ceiling tiles above him. He got out of the shower, and grabbed one of the course grey towels on the sink counter, and began to rub himself dry. That’s when he noticed the uniforms. Two dark green suits, with matching black loafers were sitting on the shelf across from the shower, and Keith blew out a breath of annoyance. He grabbed the smaller pair of cloths, which at least _felt_ comfortable, despite their appearance. He dressed, again vetoing to look in the mirror, and left the bathroom combing a finger through his damp hair one more time.

Lance was still asleep, his quiet form breathing peacefully. Keith briefly considered waking him up, but was sure that it would be seen as less of a sign of good will, and more of an annoyance. Keith shook his head, and grabbed his room key from his chosen desk set. He stepped out of the room quietly, the automatic door sliding open and closed with only a slight hiss. He looked both ways before heading out into the hall, minor panic bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He’d gotten lost yesterday, what was to say he wouldn’t get lost again? Then he spotted several other B block students just to the right of his room. They looked older, so not first years, and carefree enough that they couldn’t be new. Keith let out a slow breath, and followed behind their chattering group, as they made their way through the twisting hallways of their dorm building.

They walked to the end of a hall and through a wide doorway. They entered into a main room of sorts, with vaulted ceilings and three other large passageways leading to what Keith assumed were blocks, A, C and D. The kids in front of him veered to the left, over to a smaller arched entrance, and then they were in the cafeteria. It was early, but it was already bustling with people and noise. Delicious smells poured out through the doors, and wafted around Keith. Kids were eating and joking around, as they carried plates full of good looking foods. Cinnamon rolls, breakfast burritos, omelettes, coffee cakes, just about any breakfast food you could think of. Keith gazed longingly at a girls waffles, which looked light and fluffy, with just the right amount of syrup poured over the top.

The Garrison might have some diabolical schemes up their sleeves, but the cafeteria didn’t seem to be hiding anything bad. Keith made his way into one of the long lines, trying his best to not drool over the other students meals. He was distracted from the food though, when he was shoved slightly on accident by the person in front of him. He looked up to see he was positioned behind two bickering girls. One of them looked as if she could bench press twice Keiths weight, the other looked like she was built to be an Olympic gymnast.

“Listen Zeth, Lucas has got it all covered you know it, I know it, Natalia and Alex know it. But if you keep pushing back like you do-” the smaller girl paused pursing her lips, and flicked her long auburn ponytail to her other shoulder. The other girl, Zeth groaned in response.

“All I’m _saying_ is, I think Lucas is being too careful- I want to get it over with. We’ve been waiting around for this thing to happen for too long, you can’t tell me you're not impatient,” She snapped, her dark eyes pulsing with heat. The smaller girl only scoffed, as if Zeth’s vehement attitude was common. Keith leaned in a little closer.

“Of course I’m impatient, but we’re part of something bigger here, it won’t be much-” She stopped then, turning to glance at Keith, who was obviously listening in, and her eyes narrowed to thin slits. The girl, Zeth, pushed her friend behind her, and _her_ glare much worse close up.

“What are you looking at? Back off kid, we’re having a private conversation,” she growled, pushing Keith back with only a small shove. He stumbled, and only just caught himself from running into the tired kid behind him. Zeth shot him one last glare, before turning back to continue a more subdued talk with the other girl. Keith felt wide awake now, and the thought of food seemed less appetizing. Once he reached the line of options he grabbed a muffin, and quickly made his way to a seat in the back of the Cafeteria nearest to the door.

He had his first clue, he was sure of it. The way those girls had been talking, it seemed important. He took a bite of his muffin, not really tasting it, as his eyes roamed the rest the cafeteria, finally landing back on the two girls. They’d gotten their breakfast, and had joined up with three other kids. A tall severe looking girl, a boy with long, thick blond hair and another girl who’s back was turned to Keith. They were all standing around, shifting closer together, muttering things, that from this distance Keith couldn’t hope to make out. He was wondering if it was possible to sneak closer without them noticing when the other boy locked eyes with him. Keith panicked, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away as the other boy smirked at him and started walking his way.

They were on him in only a few seconds, the whole group staring down at him questioningly. Keith was sure he’d been caught.

“Mind if we sit? The cafeteria is far more crowded then we’d expected this morning,” The boy smiled down at Keith, a quasi-friendly smile plastered to his face. Keith barely nodded before they were all sitting down, and he found himself squashed between Zeth and the severe looking girl. He shifted uncomfortably, holding his forgotten muffin carefully in front of him. The boy looked at him from across the table, and his eyes flashed with amusement.

“You’re Takashi Shirogane's brother aren’t you?” the boy asked, leaning forward over his plate. Keith’s eyes widened, his pulse quickening to a steady thrum in his ears. He was stuck now, how was he supposed to get out of this?

“How did you-” he stuttered out, and the entire group around him started giggling slightly. All but the severe looking girl to Keith’s right. Keith looked around himself bewildered, and he tried to force himself to crack a smile. The boy across from him finally calmed after a few moments, his smile wild and hungry looking.

“Shiro and his partner were the top students in the Battle Sequencer, it was hard not to know him. He spoke a lot about you- Keith right?” the boy asked, extending his hand over the table. Keith ignored it.

“Funny he never mentioned knowing you-,” Keith snapped, trying to appear more menacing. The two girls at his side were tense though, and he was sure he couldn’t take them both on if they decided to turn. But the boy across the table only shifted in his seat so he was leaning back comfortably. He smiled casually at Keith.

“The names Lucas, Lucas Galant. Shiro was a few years ahead of me, but I have friends in the right places to get my information. I thought it would be good to know if we have someone as great as your brother in our midst again. -And I’ve been rude, the two girls by you are Zethra and Alex, and my other two companions are Natalia,” he points to the girl Keith hadn’t really focused on yet, whose dark hair covered her eyes. “-and Elizabeth,” this time he motioned to the redhead, who smiled cheerily at Keith from across the table. Her smile somehow still felt every bit as menacing as Zethra’s hulking muscles.

“I’d introduce myself aswell, but- you already know who I am,” Keith responded, and Lucas smiled at him serenely.

“Yes well, _Keith_ , now that those pleasantries are over, I’ll be happy to be the first to welcome you to the Garrison. If you're as good as your brother, then- well let's just say it looks like we’ve all made some very powerful friends today,” Lucas quipped as he stuck his fork into his breakfast of scrambled eggs. The girls around Keith followed lead and began to eat too. Keith finished off the rest of his muffin silently.

While becoming friends with Lucas and his band of dangerous looking girls was less than appealing, it was a lucky break. If this wasn’t a trap, then he had an easy in to see if they were up to anything. But that possibility seemed rather impossible. He’d have to be careful, and they’d have to be trusting.

They sat together all through breakfast, even after Keith had finished his muffin long before. As the meal came to a close, the Cafeteria’s noise changed to a quiet buzz. Near the front doors several adults in dark green blazers, lined in red at the cuffs, had entered carrying bags of electronic tablets. Lucas nudged him under the table and motioned his head at the new figures.

“Those are our schedules they’re handing out, unfortunately we won’t be sharing any classes. I’m in A block, as are Zethra, and Alex, but I do belive Elizabeth and you are in the same block, aren’t you Elizabeth?” Lucas asked, his eyes flitting to his boisterous companion.

“We sure are,” she giggled, and Keith tried not to flinch at how steely it sounded. Lucas turned his gaze back to Keith, and he tried his best to school his features.

“Elizabeth, why don’t you take our friend Keith up to get his schedule, I’m sure he’d appreciate it,” Lucas asked, not taking his eyes off Keith’s. Elizabeth nodded her head, her hair whipping up and down behind her. Keith stood as she did, and he made his way carefully around Zethra and Alex, who both kept their eyes pinned to him as he followed Elizabeth to the front. She ended up grabbing his arm to speed him up, and pulled him right to a line headed towards a tired looking woman. They waited few moments, for other B block students to get their schedules, and then they were at the front.

“Elizabeth Macneil,” she stated, and the older woman reached into her bag for a new tablet, typed in the name, and Elizabeth's schedule popped up. Elizabeth thanked the woman, and then waved cheerily at Keith as she walked back to their table. He watched her for a moment warily, and then moved forward.

“Keith Shirogane,” he stated quietly, and the woman nodded, reached into her bag once more, but nearly dropped the tablet in her hand when one of the side doors to the cafeteria banged open. Nearly every head turned to look at the disruption, and Keith- Keith went red when he noticed who it was.

Lance was standing there, his chest heaving, his hair tousled, and his green blazer crooked on his shoulders. He looked frazzled, but also incredibly annoyed. When he noticed all the eyes glued to him, he tried his best to straighten his clothes, and smooth his hair. It worked for the most part, and the rest of the students went back to receiving their schedules. But Keith couldn’t look away, because Lance had spotted him, and while it seemed Keith had been on the opposite end of a lot of glares these past twenty-four hours, Lance’s was possibly the worst. It was fiery and powerful and magnetic, and all because it seemed Lance blamed him for not waking up on time.

The B block woman, pushed Keith’s schedule into his hands, and he looked down at in surprise. When he looked back up, Lance was gone. Lost in the sea of swarming excited students.

  
  


**(Lance)**

 

Maybe Lance hadn’t tried his hardest to make the best impression on his roommate, but Keith- Keith was difficult. The thing was though, Lance couldn’t figure out _what_ about him made him so difficult to handle. Lance usually prided himself on being a diplomat. So _what_ if the guy had been a little reckless in the hallway, Lance wasn’t one to be mad about a thing like that. Maybe slightly annoyed, but not mad. That incident couldn’t of course, be the reason for Lance’s growing anger with the guy. But something was up, because every time he looked at him, his skin felt too tight, and his breath too short.

When they’d met officially after orientation, (which Lance had been sorely late to), the _thing_ had started then. He’d shaken Keith’s hand, and it had been like touching a live wire. A thrill of cold shot through his arm, and it took every polite bone in his body not to jerk away. Keith hadn't seemed affected, only watching Lance quizzically, dark eyes shadowed underneath his mop of hair. When Keith had let go of his hand the feeling had vanished, and Lance had drawn back his hand quickly. After that, they’d been led back to their shared room, and Lance kept his eyes ahead of him as he thought. What he was thinking was beyond even him, and by the time they entered the room, he’d gotten no where further than the thought that, what he was feeling- it was _weird_.

That first night in their room had been a struggle. He’d tried his best to just focus on his night routine, applying his face mask, making his bed in just the right way, placing his fan in the correct position. It nearly worked too, and he was just about to slip into bed when he stupidly turned around to check on Keith. Keith- who was still fully dressed under his covers. Lance could tell because one of his jean clad legs was peeking out under his dark grey comforter.

“Are you sleeping in _skinny jeans_?” It had come out a lot more judgy then he’d meant, but to be fair, he was judging Keith hard. Who slept in skinny jeans? There was no comfortable movement in jeans that tight. Keith didn’t seem to get Lance’s confusion as he raised himself up on his elbow to glare at him.

“Why do you care?” Keith snapped, and Lance could feel his shoulders tense, and the feeling of his skin being too tight reappeared. It was like every fiber in his body was telling him to snap back at Keith, but Lance held himself back. He let out a calming breath and turned around to face to his bed.

“Whatever, do what you want,” Lance had muttered, as he finished straightening his comforter just so. There was quiet again, and Lance let his heart rate come back down to a normal speed. Whatever was going on with him, he needed to figure it out quick. Keith probably didn’t deserve being treated like an asshole. Lance would just have to avoid any confrontation until this feeling, whatever it was, would go away. He needed to get along with Keith. If he couldn’t then this year would be a lot harder to work through. With a sigh he flipped off his nightstand lamp, and the room was washed into darkness. Lance slipped under the sheets, turning his back on Keith’s bed.

Lance would make things right in the morning, but right now he was tired, and homesick, and he deserved a little reprieve tonight.

 

* * *

 

Lance woke up slowly, pulling his sleep mask off his face with numb fingers. He groaned slightly, squinting into the darkness of the room. He rose up, pushing his covers away and grabbed his phone off the night stand. He tapped the screen tiredly, and had to take a moment before the numbers on the screen clicked in his brain.

He was late. He was very, very late. Lance looked up at the adjacent bed, about to call out to Keith, but- Keith wasn’t there. The itching feeling picked up immediately, and he smacked his pillow in frustration. The asshole had obviously left, and hadn't had the courtesy to wake him up.  
  
“ _But it wasn’t his job to do that Lance_ ,” an annoyingly right voice in the back of his head said. “ _You should have had an alarm set, he probably didn’t think to wake you up_ ,” the voice went on. It was sounding suspiciously like his mother’s voice. He groaned slightly, knowing his inner Mama was telling the truth, and he no reason to be angry. But apparently a bigger part of him was saying “ _f_ _uck that”._

  
He took his shower, and got dressed in too much of hurry. He tried to slap himself out of the pissed off funk he seemed to be stuck in, but he couldn’t seem to shake it. He stared himself down in the mirror for a good two minutes too long trying to talk himself out of it. But- to no avail. It would have been unnerving, if he didn’t have the urgency of being late to his first day of school activities. He didn’t even have time to balk at how ugly the uniforms were.

 _Okay_. He had a little time to do it.  
  
The rest of his morning was a blur. He’d run around for too long trying to find the cafeteria, and by the time he’d actually reached it the food had stopped being served. That had only added to his prickly feelings, and immediately seeing Keith hadn’t helped a bit. Keith, with his stupid unruly dark mop of hair, and unreadable expression. Lance thankfully, and successfully stopped himself from running across the room to throttle the other boy. He’d just had to shake himself from the red fog his mind was in, and slip into the crowd of students waiting for their schedules. Fortunately he hadn’t missed the passing out of them.  
  
His classes weren’t anything too exciting. He had all the same regular courses he’d had at his old school in Tampa. Chemistry was first ( _nice_ ), then History, then English- Arana had said she’d be teaching that. He shivered slightly staring at the screen of his tablet. He checked his other classes over, and noticed at the bottom _Battle Sequencing_ was written in bold lettering. It would be at the end of each week of classes.

So Lance had exactly a week to get rid of whatever grudge he held against mullet boy Keith. He sighed deeply, shoving his tablet into his school bag. He couldn’t worry about that now, he had to find a way to class first.   


 

* * *

  
  
Lance wasn’t sure if it was because he looked completely utterly lost, or the fact that somehow he just screamed _new kid_ , but it didn’t take long for someone to notice he needed help. Lance would say he’d just really needed to go to the bathroom, which was why he’d stumbled into the fifth one on his journey to find the Chem labs, but that would be a lie. And the large kid waiting for him as he embarrassedly left said fifth bathroom, knew this as well.

  
“Need help finding a classroom?” Lance jumped slightly as the kid spoke, and he immediately ran a hand through his hair to seem more chill.  
  
“Do I seem that lost?” He asked nervously, glancing at this new guy. He was tall, like really tall, and Lance would’ve been intimidated, if he had not also been wearing the most docile and friendly expression Lance had ever witnessed. He also seemed to be pulling off the tacky green uniform, which Lance could appreciate.  
  
“It’s fine, I know my first year I didn’t make it to classes 90% of the time. This place is a maze. I’m Hunk by the way,” the guy stuck out his hand, smiling large and encouragingly at Lance, who took his hand without hesitation.  
  
“I’m Lance, but my friends call me Lover Boy Lance-“ he paused, raising his eyebrows, and Hunk laughed loudly enough for several people to turn in their direction. Lance continued more seriously, “You wouldn’t happen to know where the Chem lab is?” He asked.  
  
“Well you’re in luck, I’m headed that way myself. Oh hey, I grabbed one muffin too many at breakfast, you want one?,” Hunk asked smiling again, just as warm as the first time, if not warmer while grabbing a wrapped blueberry muffin from his bag. Lance took the muffin graciously, hoping the rumbling in his stomach hadn’t been what gave him away. He reached an arm around the larger boy and grinned widely.

  
“Hunk my friend, I think we’re going to get along famously.” 


	5. Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you might have noticed I changed the chapter count to 23, instead of 10- and that is because I decided to actually plan out the chapters, and I realized- all the stuff I want to fit in, it's not fitting in 10 chapters. So sorry, it's gonna take longer, but I feel it's gonna be worth it! Anyway, the comments left on chapter 4 made me want to cry they were so nice, so thank you and continue to like and comment! please! I love you!  
> Anyway- enjoy!

**(Keith)**

  
Keith’s plan had been a simple one. He'd come to the Garrison, pretend to be a student, get in good with teachers and staff, then steal as much confidential shit as he could and get the hell out of dodge. He had thought through the more exciting parts of his plan very well. If he needed to make a quick escape? No worries, he’d mapped out and memorized the school's ventilation system, along with their correlating exits around the school. If he needed a distraction? Piece of cake, Keith had explosives down to an art form. But of course, _of course_ there was a snag. There was bound to be at some point. But really? Who knew he’d find it within the first day of classes?

  
To be more specific- Keith was getting his ass handed to him through homework. He had two full length essays due by Wednesday, a completed lab report for an experiment in Earth Sciences Tuesday, and at least twenty sheets worth of math done by the end of the week.

  
Keith had always prided himself on being a good student. He was the best in his year at his high school in Iowa. This shouldn’t have been a problem he needed to deal with. But it was. And instead of trying to wheedle information out of Lucas and his gang, he was stuck in his room doing advanced Trig. Because nothing could be easy for him. _Ever_ , apparently.

  
Did he really need good grades to be a spy?  
  
_Yes_ , he scolded himself. The most important part of this was staying under the radar. If he got good enough grades, no one would have to keep an eye on him. If his grades slipped there’d be an investigation to see if he was good enough for the Garrison. And he couldn’t have that.  
  
He groaned slightly, laying his head down heavily into his Trig book. He sat there for awhile, his face pressed up against the pages, shuffling through the day's memories. He remembered Lance, and his blue eyes briefly, but set him aside for the moment. His main concern had to be Lucas. Lucas and apparently Elizabeth, who taking Lucas’s orders to the T, had done her best to stick close to Keith all day. He didn’t think they had any classes together, and yet, every time he’d step out of a lesson- there she was. He had enough cautionary proof to think her gift was speed.  
  
He was worried though. If this behavior continued in her, and possibly the rest of Lucas’s group, then he’d have to come up with new ways of sneaking around.

  
He groaned louder, and wished he could just-- he picked himself up slowly and placed his chin into his upturned palm. He couldn’t even think of something he’d like to rather do. He tapped his fingers idly on the desktop, letting his mind wander. He stopped suddenly, gazing down at his hand. A sudden thought hit him.

  
He hadn’t practiced his gift ever- but- he’d need to at some point. Their first battle was Friday, and he might have been “powerful” but that didn’t mean he was prepared.

  
He shifted in his seat, placing both his hands palm up, and took a deep calming breath.  
  
He wasn’t sure how to explain how he did it. It was always- different. That first time- that first horrible time- it had felt like shattered glass. As if Keith had been a piece of pretty crystal that had had the misfortune of being dropped. Where one thing had been, many things were left. The second time had been like a tsunami. He’d had to watch as the tide rolled away, and away, and away, until it was just one massive wave. Only, he was the wave. And the beach, and the people staring up at it in horror. If that made any sense. Which he was sure it didn’t. But it was how it had felt.  
  
But now he needed- he needed a new method. A cleaner method. One that didn’t feel like his insides were being scraped out.  
  
He took another breath. And another. He could feel it, the cold, right in the middle of his chest. It was always there. Just a small pit of ice, burrowed between ribs. He did what he could only describe as pulling at it for a moment, until he could feel it slide and grow until the cold wasn’t just in his chest but in his arms, and his neck and his head. He blinked his eyes open and stared dumbfounded at his hands.

  
He’d never studied what happened to them when he- when he used his powers. He assumed they’d just look- bluer? Like a frozen human hand? He wasn’t sure- but it wasn’t this.

  
His skin wasn’t skin anymore, but a shiny steely looking ice. Frost was building up, glinting maliciously in the low lighting of the room. Keith moved them around, wiggling his fingers just as easily as he could have before. There weren’t cold- not to him at least- they just tingled a little. He stood up clenching and unclenching his fists, testing the movement a little more. Without thinking too much about it, he moved into the bathroom. He could test his gift a bit more by maybe freezing the water from the faucet.  
  
Of course he had to catch sight of his reflection. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw it. He did fall back however, and he had to clutch onto one of the shelving units to keep from falling over completely. Ice began to spread up the wall where his hands touched, but he couldn’t take his eyes off his reflection. Because it wasn’t him. And yet it was. Because the creature in the mirror still had on an ugly green uniform, and look of terror on its face.  
  
It was like his hands, only worse. The blackish, metal like ice was now part of his face, making it look as if he were wearing a mask of steel. And his eyes- his eyes were the worst part. His pupils and his irises were gone, a milky white replacing them both.  
  
He wanted it gone. He had to have it gone-now. This had never been a part of his mother’s gift. He was sure of it. All she could do was cool down drinks, or fevers. She was at best, just a human ice pack. This- this was something else entirely.  
  
Keith, at this point had slumped down onto the floor, trying to keep his breathing even. The ice was still spreading, and he could hear the thin paint on the wall crackling unhappily as the cold overtook it. He couldn't do anything about it though. He couldn't think of anything to do. Which of course is when he heard the door to the room open up. Because he had a roommate.

  
Lance.  
_Lance._

He could feel the tension in his chest increase, and wished more then anything that it would all just go away, and that he could get out of this bathroom.

  
He didn’t even have time to scramble up from his seated position before the bathroom door was swung open. He froze, the irony of that statement hitting him hard, and Lance’s cerulean eyes landed on his huddled form.  
  
He waited for Lance to freak, to shout at him that he looked like a monster. But Lance didn’t do either of those things. He just sighed slightly, staring down at Keith with a frown. And suddenly he was standing over Keith, and motioning towards the doors

  
“Look dude, it’s been- a real day- and I’m sure it’s been rough for you too, but can you maybe curl up into a ball in someone else’s bathroom- because- and I say this from the bottom of my heart- I really need to piss,” Lance huffed in annoyance. Keith just looked back up at him, and then his head immediately swiveled to the mirror. He could just see the tips of his feathery black hair, which meant- he stood up abruptly, and looked at his reflection. His _normal_ reflection. There was a small cough behind him, and he turned to look at Lance, who was staring at him pointedly. His eyes still held fire.  
  
“Sorry I’ll just- let you- yeah,” he stammered, and quickly ushered himself out of the bathroom, very nearly slamming it on his way out.  
  
He took a deep, steadying breath, and gazed down at his hands. Pale, and slightly freckled, with a mole near the wrist of his left hand. Normal, non-ice hands.  
  
Keith could still feel it though. The cold. Right in the pit of his chest.

 

* * *

   
  
Home work, and freak ice monster problems aside, the rest of Keith’s week went smoothly. He stumbled through his homework as best he could, doing well enough, and he just- ignored the rest. His Lance problems helped him with the ignoring part.

  
In the span of a week, Keith was pretty sure he’d met probably the worst human being alive. He hadn’t had the chance to meet the people who'd killed his brother yet, so- Lance was at the top of that list.

  
For one the boy would not- shut- up. While he never spoke directly to Keith, he could still be heard by literally anyone for a good distance. During breakfast (which he now got to on time) his mouth was constantly moving, and unfortunately for Keith, it wasn’t because he was actually eating. He would tell wild, outlandish stories, that had groups of people Keith didn’t even know, laughing hysterically. He apparently was a real comedian. Keith didn’t get the appeal.  
  
If the loud distractions weren’t enough, his bathroom hogging abilities were. After the first day of Lance being late, he’d learned his lesson. On Tuesday, Keith woke at 5:30 to the sound of the shower running. Lance wasn’t out of the bathroom till _6:40_ , gleaming like a fucking Greek god. As if anyone wearing a pine green suit had the right to look that hot. Yeah- Keith hated him.  
  
But that’s all it was, a few heated glares, a few huffy remarks, _that_ was all. Keith wasn’t in the mood to take things too far. He did have to live with the guy.

Of course that changed Thursday afternoon, when Keith opened his stupid mouth to complain about his pain in the ass roommate. He really should have thought more about the people he was sharing his grievances to.

  
“He just- he’s a shit roommate. He leaves his skin care lotions all over the counter, he doesn’t hang up his towel when he’s done using it, his beds never made. He’s a mess, and yet he yelled at me this morning for not putting the cap back on my deodorant,” Keith grumbled, spinning his fork of spaghetti angrily. His group- Lucas’s group, all watched him silently, and Elizabeth patted his back softly.

  
“Don’t worry about it, you know Natalia has a real weird roommate this year too, a _transfer_ kid. This new guy she’s roomed with, total weirdo, his name is literally Pigeon- or something like that, right Nat?” Elizabeth asked, turning her head to look at Natalia, who at the moment was hunched over a platter of what Keith was pretty sure were frog legs. Natalia nodded, her longs bangs bobbing slightly, and went back to eating. Keith didn’t like looking at Natalia too long- something was- undeniably off about the girl. He instead turned his attention back to Elizabeth.

  
“He’s not just weird, he’s annoying- and insufferably cocky, I just- he gets under my skin,” Keith muttered, and finally Lucas looked up from his bowl of lobster bisque.  
  
“If you hate him so much, we'll have to help you get rid him won't we?" Lucas said plaintively, twirling his spoon around and around methodically. Keith's eyes widened slightly in shock, trying his best to keep his cool.

"He's annoying, but nothing we should be worried about honest-" Lucas immediately waved him off, his thin mouth splitting into a sharp looking smirk.

"Well, we'll see how things turn out, but if he's bothering my good friend Keith, I think it a grand idea to take him down a notch. If he’s cocky, he’s got an ego- and everyone knows how fragile those are,” he eyed Keith with a devilish look, his perfect white teeth flashing in the fluorescent lighting of the cafeteria.

  
“I never said that I-“ Keith tried to backtrack, but Lucas had already caught sight of something behind him. He grinned wildly, and Keith could feel his lungs tighten just enough for breathing to be difficult.

  
“You know, you’re right Keith- McClain really is quite pathetic- you said it takes him hours to work through one measly homework assignment. It's really quite sad how the standards of the Garrison have really lowered in the past few years. Oh and that boy he hangs out with, you didn’t mention he was the scholarship holder- seems decent friends are hard to come by,” Keith stared dumbfounded as Lucas spoke, his voice too loud for him to have been just speaking to the table. And then it hit him. Keith twisted in his seat following Lucas's steely gaze- and there he saw Lance, face burning red, just two tables over. The other kids around him were snickering, except one other boy that Keith had frequently seen Lance with. He wasn’t giggling, but unfortunately he seemed to be the brunt of Lucas’s other joke. The scholarship kid.

  
Keith turned back around sharply, his eyes locking with Lucas’s.  
  
“You didn’t need to do that, I was venting- what kind of sadistic piece of-“ Keith suddenly felt a large hand fall on his shoulder, and Zeth was looking at him in warning. She put just the slightest bit more pressure into her hold, and Keith was sure he could feel his collarbone creaking.  
  
He shut his mouth, his jaw clenching. Zeth let go, and Lucas looked over at him with unveiled skepticism.  
  
“Keith, I think it’s time you know- if you’re not with us- you’re against us. The weak aren’t going to make it here at the Garrison. But you're strong- I could tell that from day one. You can have whatever you want with us Keith- think closely about who you want as your friends,” Lucas purred, leaning forward in his seat, his face too close for comfort. His steely grey eyes weren’t human- and it took every fiber in Keith not to move back.

  
“Have I made myself clear?” Lucas whispered, and Keith- Keith couldn’t do anything but nod.  


 

* * *

  
  
So his relationship with Lance- if it could have been called that in first place- was officially over.  
  
Keith had been sure the minute Lance got back to their dorm room that night, there would be a confrontation. Yelling, maybe punching- you know- things Keith could handle like a rational person. But that didn’t happen.

  
When Lance walked in, his eyes fell on Keith and then- moved away. He set down his messenger bag with a sigh, and headed to the bathroom. He took a twenty minute shower (and Keith was _not_ counting the minutes). Once he was out, he dressed for bed and immediately went to sleep. Just like that. No face mask, no fan, no whale noises. He just flopped down on his bed, pulled the comforter over himself, and just- went to sleep.

Guilt churned in Keith's stomach as he turned off his bed light, and he couldn't help but watch the quiet form of Lance. Was this worth it? Takashi was dead- he knew that- and while he knew he wanted justice for him, was it okay to hurt people along the way? It's not something he'd imagined his brother would have wanted.

Keith rolled over onto his back, tears stinging in his eyes. He wiped at them furiously with the heels of his hands, and bunched up the comforter around himself.

He fell asleep thinking of ways to make things right.

 

* * *

 

Keith awoke to a blaring siren, and for a second Keith was sure he’d been found out. They were coming for him- they knew what he was trying to do. Then a voice came over the hidden loudspeakers in the room.

“Attention Students, this is not a drill. You are to dress in the combat gear we’ve provided you with and head to the Gymnasium. I repeat, this is not a drill. Your first Battle Sequencing has begun.

 

**(Lance)**

 

  
Lance’s first day was kind of a bust to say the least. Waking up late hadn’t exactly been the best start, and it seemed things were just aiming to keep heading down hill. Lance was just glad for Hunk, who seemed to be literal ray of sunshine in human form. Unfortunately for them both they had their first three classes together, which meant they both had to sit through possibly the worst Chem class ever. It started when the bell rang, and their elderly teacher hobbled in and Lance nearly choke on his spit.

Lance had seen her the night before at orientation, but he hadn’t put the puzzle pieces together. Mrs. Anderson, the small, little woman, who was at the very most 5”2, was none other Isla Anderson. The _first_ super. Lance had seen her on t.v countless times. She was a legend in the science world. A brilliant chemist. His dad had an honest to god poster of her up in their lab at home. As she made her way to the front of the class, Lance couldn’t help but tug Hunk’s sleeve in excitement. Hunk looked back at him and eyebrow raised, and Lance mouthed _‘It’s Isla Anderson’_ which Hunk didn’t seem too surprised about. He just nodded his head slightly, and directed his attention back to the front of the class.

So Hunk wasn’t a Chem nerd- that was fine with Lance- but he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of homesickness. His dad would have been so pumped to know his son was being taught by _the_ Isla Anderson. _The_ Isla Anderson who was talking- and who Lance was ignoring.

Lance brought his attention back to the front of the class. Mrs. Anderson was currently going over the years syllabus, rambling on about the many complicated experiments they’d be partaking in, and how she didn’t expect any of them to get higher than a C in her class. Lance was nearly jumping out of his seat in excitement. She spoke for a majority of the period, handing out course material, and their first homework assignment- a two page essay on how their gifts could be connected to Chemistry. Lance swallowed, thinking back to the flickering flame in the palm of his hand. Did chemistry have anything to do with that?

Lance glanced nervously over at Hunk, who was staring down at his paper in worry. Lance nudged him slightly.

“You okay bud?” Lance whispered softly, and Hunk looked up, his eyes wide. He stuffed the assignment into his bag and nodded wildly.

“Yep, totally- why wouldn’t I be, completely okay- fit as a-"  
  
“Mr. Garrett, do you have anything you’d like to share with the class?” Mrs. Anderson’s voice cut him off sharply. Lance glanced to the front of the room where their tiny teacher stood, her bony hands clasped over a metal tipped walking stick. Hunk’s whispered voice had apparently been a bit too loud.

“No- uhm- no Ma'am,” Hunk muttered, the tan skin of his face turning a deep raspberry. The rest of the class snickered, and Lance could feel hot anger boil in the pit of his stomach. Mrs. Anderson looked them over, her beady eyes shining black and inquisitive. They all knew what damage those eyes could do.

“Then Mr. Garret, you wouldn’t mind coming up here and finishing this equation for the class now would you?” she asked, stepping aside to show them the black board where a complicated problem was laid out for them. Hunk took a shuddering breath, and Lance tried to think of a way to get him out of this. The problem on the board was collage level, no way any junior chem student could figure it on day one. It was most undoubtedly his fault Hunk was in this situation. But apparently Hunk could read minds, because he fixed Lance with a quelling look, before he got up and crossed the room.

Kids were still smirking, and giggling, and Lance had to shove his hands in his pockets. They were heating up beyond his control, and he was sure the chem lab was _not_ a good place to test his gift just yet.

Hunk had made it to the front of the class, but he was having trouble picking up the chalk to write with. It kept slipping from his fingers, and he kept apologizing while Mrs. Anderson watched him calculatingly. When he dropped the piece of chalk for the third time, the class erupted into laughter, and then suddenly- Hunk was gone. There one second, gone the next. Lance stared in astonishment, jumping from his seat to get a closer look. The class only laughed harder, as if the disappearance of one of their classmates was totally hilarious. Lance's gaze landed on Mrs. Anderson, hoping she’d shut them up. She just looked over the spot where Hunk had been with an eye roll.

“Please Mr. Garrett- refrain yourself from using your gift outside of the Battle Sequencer,” she said warily. Lance shook his head, trying to figure out why she was speaking with Hunk when- when Hunk was reappearing before his eyes.

First the ugly green suit jacket, then the pants and the shoes, and suddenly Hunk's face was back as well, burning red hot with embarrassment. He had the piece of chalk in his hand, and he placed it back down on the boards holder quickly. Lance glanced behind Hunk at the chalkboard, and realized the problem had been finished, _perfectly_ it seemed _._ Hunk sat back down quietly, as the rest of class finally calmed themselves.

“You can go invisible?” Lance asked in awe, and Hunk shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t looking at Lance, just had his eyes peeled to the front where Mrs. Anderson was explaining the finished problem. The bell rang soon after that, and Lance followed closely behind Hunk as he made his way past his chattering, asshole classmates. Hunk didn’t stop when they got out of the classroom, but kept going, and Lance, though tall for his age, had to lengthen his steps to match Hunk's.

“Hunk- Hunk wait! Where are you going?” Lance called out, finally placing himself far enough in front of Hunk to stop him. Which let him see the tears in Hunks eyes. Yeah, Lance could feel heat pooling in his palms- and this time he was less inclined to stop what was about to come.

“I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to- don’t worry- I’m a crier- I cry at like- everything,” Hunk explained panicked, wiping the few fat tears that had managed to escape. Lance moved forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Those kids are phenomenal assholes- don’t worry about them- and Mrs. Anderson- she shouldn’t have let them-” Hunk waved him off with a sigh.

“It’s fine Lance, really. I’ve dealt with it for two years, I can deal with it for two more. This is an elitist school with elitist ideals. I don’t really fit them,” Hunk shrugged and Lance could tell he was trying to act nonchalant. He was failing. Lance looked at him sternly, but Hunk just shook his head, and moved past him continuing on his way to their next class.

“What ideals don’t you fit? I know you’re a smart guy, you finished that advanced chem equation no problem- and _so what_ you haven’t got your powers completely under control- invisibility is cool-” Lance tried, but all Hunk seemed to do was cling to his book bag tighter.

“I can’t- I can’t control my powers at all Lance- it only happens when I’m embarrassed or scared. It’s a defense mechanism. I’m- I’m _barely_ on the power scale to begin with- maybe a .2- I only got in on scholarship. I won this huge science fair in Indianapolis, and they heard about how I  built a prototype arc reactor. That’s why I’m here- and- a lot of people don’t like it,” Hunk finished as they came to halt outside their history classroom door. Lance stared at him for a moment, as he fidgeted slightly, watching the other green clad students walk past them into class. Finally Lance spoke.

“Hunk- I think you're just about the most amazing guy I’ve met. Who cares if you can’t control your ability- you’ve got something none of us losers have- and that’s brains. Now- I think we’re like a minute late to History so,” Lance nodded toward the door, and Hunk, who was grinning softly, quickly shuffled them both into class.

 

 

* * *

 

 

History was, as in any school, incredibly boring. Lance barely heard a thing as the teacher droned on about the Awakening. As if none of them had ever heard about it. Creepy asteroid lands on earth, boom, super-powered babies. That simple. Their teacher didn’t seem to think so, because he spent their entire period listing off names of early scientists at the scene of the landing, and the reactions of the locals and so forth. By the time the period bell rang, Lance felt like he was going to pass out. Hunk thankfully, helped him up from his seat, and lead them both to the English wing.

“Mr. Greene always talks about the Awakening first day- it’s tradition,” Hunk supplied, as Lance sluggishly dragged himself down the hall after his friend. The halls were packed, which didn't really leave room for slow movement, so Lance perked up enough to weave in and out of pushing and pulling students, all the way to their English class. Lance didn't remember who he’d be seeing there, until he locked eyes with her from across the room.

Her thin lips were pulled into a shark like smile, as she looked around at the accumulated kids in the room. Ms. Aurantia was still as pale and pretty as ever, and Lance could feel his skin crawling as she watched him take his seat.

“Good afternoon class, I hope you’ve all had a wonderful day so far?” she asked, her pale eyes looking glassy and unreal. The rest of class chorused a ‘Yes, Ms. Aurantia’, and her smile broadened- which in Lance's mind, it was starting to look a lot less like a smile, and much more like a grimace.

“That’s good- now, I thought I might get you all a little more interested in what I’ll be teaching you this year about famous literature and such, so I’ve picked one of my favorite Shakespeare pieces to read aloud,” she stated, and in a moment her long legs led her to her desk where she picked up a small booklet. She headed back to the front of the room as she began to speak.

_“Thou, nature, art my goddess; to thy law_

_My services are bound. Wherefore should I_

_Stand in the plague of custom, and permit_

_The curiosity of nations to deprive me,_

_For that I am some twelve or fourteen moonshines_

_Lag of a brother? Why bastard? wherefore base?_

_When my dimensions are as well compact,_

_My mind as generous, and my shape as true,”_   Her voice shook, and the whole classroom watched in awed silence, and she continued on. She seemed in her element, playing a part other than teacher.

_“As honest madam's issue? Why brand they us_

_With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?_

_Who, in the lusty stealth of nature, take_

_More composition and fierce quality_

_Than doth, within a dull, stale, tired bed,_

_Go to the creating a whole tribe of fops,_

_Got 'tween asleep and wake? Well, then,_

_Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:_

_Our father's love is to the bastard Edmund_

_As to the legitimate: fine word,--legitimate!_

_Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,_

_And my invention thrive, Edmund the base_

_Shall top the legitimate. I grow; I prosper:_

_Now, gods, stand up for bastards!”_  she finished with a yell that echoed through the classroom. It shook the ceiling, and made several students startle. Ms. Aurantia, cleared her throat politely, closing her book softly.

“Can anyone tell me, what play that was from? And whose monologue it was,” she asked, gazing about at her startled confused students. Her eyes landed on Lance. He visibly swallowed.

“Mr. McClain, can you?” she nearly purred the question, and Lance shot his gaze away from her face and onto the floor.

“It’s- from King Lear, it was Edwards monologue,” Lance choked out, and she stared down at him appraisingly. She suddenly turned around and walked back up to the front of the classroom.

“I’m afraid that’s only half right- Can anyone tell me correctly, who’s monologue this was?” she asked again. The class stayed silent.

“It’s Edmund’s, he was close enough Arana, leave the poor boy alone,” a strong clear voice broke the silence, and the entirety of the class turned in their seats to see- Lance’s mouth nearly dropped open. The woman standing before them was- _breathtaking_. She was tall, for one, and well built, like she could totally bench press Lance if she wanted to. And he wanted her to. Her dark skin contrasted magnificently against her silvery blue hair, and Lance was pretty sure he was in love.

“Allura, I didn’t think you’d be stopping by anymore- this isn't your father’s school-”

“I came to drop off a message from the headmistress,” _Allura_ replied curtly, walking forward briskly, her satin blue skirt billowing around her knees. She placed the note roughly in Ms. Aurantia’s hand and stalked back to the door way. She stopped right at the door before she left.

“And Arana, if you don’t want to be seen as a villain by the students, don’t play the villain in class,” with that, she was gone, and the class was left just as silent as when she’d entered.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m in love,” Lance stated happily, as he stuck his fork into a tender piece of chicken. He stuffed several forkfuls of it into his mouth before he looked up to see Hunk giving him an exasperated look. English had ended after a very tense half hour of silent reading, and now- now Lance could think more about _Allura_.

“If you're talking about the Chicken Ziti, I wholeheartedly agree, if this is perchance, about Allura- then I’m gonna have to wreck that train of thought buddy,” Hunk shrugged his shoulders as Lance looked at him in shock.

“Why can’t I be in love with a gorgeous woman- she’s like- an 11 on a scale of 1-10. She’s a greek goddess-” Lance trailed off as the look on Hunk's face slowly became more and more wary.

“Look dude, you can admire her- for sure- but reason number one, she’s very much out of your league, number two she’s way too old for you, and three she lost her boyfriend last year in plane crash- so like- I’d leave her alone. I think even harmless flirting would be like- a slap in the face,” Hunk finished solemnly, and Lance frowned down at his chicken, his appetite basically gone.

“She’s also like- the daughter of the guy who created this place- Allura Altea,” Hunk added, and Lance slumped father into his seat.

“So like- no chance in hell then?”

“No chance in hell.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the week went surprisingly fine- until Thursday. In which Lance was given total and damning evidence that his roommate Keith, was an utter and total asshole. Him and his group of popular, gorgeous, assholes. Lance had begun to feel like he was part of the movie Heathers. He was just waiting for the bodies to start dropping at this point.

But yeah, Thursday ended any and all belief that Keith _might_ be an okay guy, that Lance had unfairly been treating like crap. Apparently his gut feeling of unease with the guy was totally right. He would have felt a little proud of himself if what he’d heard hadn’t been so cutting.

He hadn’t realized Keith even payed attention to him enough to see he'd been struggling with the workload. Lance was smart, he knew that, but the Garrison was next level in it's intensity.

The worst part of it though- the more unforgivable thing- was the jab at Hunk. Hunk was his friend, and the nicest person on the planet. He somehow found the time and made Lance chocolate chip cookies Wednesday, based off a recipe Lance had off offhandedly mentioned his mother used. They’d tasted exactly the same as his Mama’s. So yeah, _no one_ messed with Hunk.

He’d planned an extravagant fight to deal with Keith later that night, but as he stood in front of their door- all he could think about was when he’d found Keith on the floor of the bathroom, looking like a shell shocked bombing victim. It was the one time that feeling of mistrust and anger hadn’t bubbled it’s way to the surface. He hadn’t exactly been nice to Keith, but he hadn’t mentioned how bad he’d looked then either. Whatever he'd been dealing with was probably serious enough not to be teased about.

The thought paused him. And finally, he took a deep breath entered the room, and didn’t look at Keith once. It didn’t feel as good as yelling might have, but he felt Keith’s eyes on him the entire time. Lance could tell he'd prepared himself for fight, and he Lance wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of one. He went to bed feeling as if he'd won something in their little power struggle.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance awoke to a blaring siren, and for a second he wasn’t sure where he was. And a female voice cut through the shrieking of the sirens, coming from hidden loudspeakers in the dorm room.

“Attention Students, this is not a drill. You are to dress in the combat gear we’ve provided you with and head to the Gymnasium. I repeat, this is not a drill. Your first Battle Sequencing has begun.”


	6. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first this chapter was insanely hard for me to write, but once I got into it, it was a lot of fun, so I hope you guys enjoy it. Comment what you thought, and thanks so much for reading!!

**(Lance)**

 

Lance’s heart was beating a mile a minute, the alarms causing his adrenaline to spike so badly it hurt. He nearly fell from his bed as he jumped up, his head spinning slightly. The intercom voice appeared once more, reassuring bleary eyed students like Lance, that yes, that were being awoken at the ass crack of dawn to fight. Lance groaned slightly running one hand through his hair and the other over his face. This was not fair. This was shit. Why the fuck had he been forced to come to this hell school that had no regard for his need for sleep. Fuck this.   
  
The only thing that forced Lance from moving any farther from his bed was Keith. Who while looking like sleep deprived crap, was fast moving about the room to get prepared. As if Lance was gonna let the asshole one up him on this- Lance was the morning person, he could handle being woken at four morning. Which it was in fact four in the morning, if Lance’s phone clock was anything to go by. So he grit his teeth and began stumbling about the room, shuffling through his dresser for the schools specially crafted battle suits.    
  
Thankfully, whoever designed the schools uniforms, had gotten nowhere near the Garrison’s battle gear, because while looking incredibly skin tight, the suit didn’t look hideous. The fabric of was nothing like anything Lance had seen before, it was durable and stretchy, but also incredibly thin. As he pulled it on it clung to him like a second skin, almost morphing to fit him correctly. The dark material wasn’t too tight that it was constricting, but it was definitely slimming, and Lance couldn’t help but feel exposed in it. He stood for a moment, gazing at his haggard expression in distaste. His beauty sleep was important, and when he he didn’t get his full eight hours it  _ showed _ . Unfortunately. He shook his head, and grabbed the boots next, which were hidden in the back of their rooms closet. The black boots that went along with the suit seemed to be made of the same material, and by the time Lance had them on it felt as if he wasn’t wearing anything at all. Which- was disturbing.    
  
Lance glanced over at Keith, who by now was dressed as well, and was tying back his hair into a ponytail. Lance paused as he yanked on his left boot and watched as Keith artfully tied his hair up. Somehow, despite the usual mess Keith’s hair was, he’d managed to tame it enough that having it tied back didn’t look half bad. In fact it greatly helped Keith’s appearance- now Lance could see how soft his features really were, and while Keith was probably just as exhausted as Lance, he looked more relaxed. His neck was also much more visible, long and graceful and- Lance was staring. He was totally staring.   
  
Lance looked back down at his boot, and adjusted it a bit more, trying to calm his heart rate. He was just- he was tired. He’d zoned out, and Keith had just happened to be right it front of him. That’s all it was. But his face wasn’t getting the memo, because it was burning as hot as any fire he could summon. He just prayed Keith wouldn’t be able to see his blush in the dimness of the room. Lance was smart enough to keep his eyes on the ground as they both finished dressing, and he tried his best to barely acknowledge Keith as they ran through the door together.

The hallway was crowded with exhausted looking students, all shuffling around like zombies. There were a few older kids who were full out running, their suits perfectly adjusted, and Lance could only assume this was all old news to them. Lance was starting to get a migraine. A horrible, terrible migraine, that wasn’t being helped by the continuation of blaring alarms. It was also still four O’clock in the morning. Four O’clock in the morning and they had been woken up to go fight in a crazy superhero simulator. Keith who was silently walking next to him, still looked just as, if not more, out of it, which gave Lance a little jolt of happiness. If he was going to be woken up before dawn, at least Keith had to suffer along with him. 

The procession of students continued through the winding halls of the Garrison, and when they finally reached the atrium near the Cafeteria, their pace picked up. Older students, the head seniors, barked out orders from the sidelines like some kind of teenage generals. Lance nearly stopped at that realization, because they kind of  _ were  _ generals. The fact the Garrison was a military school was hitting him hard. As Lance jogged along with the other black clad students, he couldn’t help but start to panic. He was no fighter- he didn’t have the heart for it- and sure what they were about to do was  _ fight _ , but it was a mock battle. What if at some point they were going to expect more from him. From everybody. Lance knew that war was still prevalent in a majority of the world, but it had never seemed so  _ real. _ Because what was the point of training up a bunch of super powered kids, if you didn’t put them to use?

Lance was so wrapped up in his thoughts of being turned into a child soldier, that he barely had time to come to halt along with the rest of the student body. He did stumbled into Keith though, and they both tripped unceremoniously onto the ground. They went down hard, and Lance thanked his lucky stars he hadn’t accidentally sprawled on top of Keith. Lance took a moment to just lay in embarrassment, but Keith was up immediately. He didn’t say anything, just cursed quietly as he lifted himself from the ground, keeping his eyes firmly averted from Lance. Which was- good? At least it was clear he knew he was still in the wrong about the things he'd said about Lance. He still didn’t help him up though, and Lance was forced to scramble up as alarms quieted and the intercom crackled to life again.

“Attention students- today's exercise will be focused on getting to know your roommates. You will be learning how to fight with both your powers as a  _ team _ . Each block has had a personal maze preset, which you will find behind the doors in front of you-” the voice paused, and Lance noticed that the B block students had all been moved to southern alcove, right in front of two large, impressive doors. The voice continued, “Lit beacons will be hidden throughout the maze- four to be exact. Your goal, collect as many beacons within the maze as you can. I will remind those who are unfamiliar- this is a competition- collect the most beacons in the allotted time, and your homework load will be cut in half. When announced, your house will be lead into the maze- stick together, work together, those are the rules. Good luck, and good morning Garrison students,” the woman’s voice stopped, and the crowds murmuring suddenly grew into a hum around Lance and Keith. Just cutting half the homework load would be an honest to god miracle, which meant the competition was going to get cut throat fast. Lance sent an anxious glance Keith’s way, but the other boy was staring resolutely at the closed doors in front of them. It hit Lance then that he had no idea what Keith’s power was, and they were minutes away from being forced to work together. 

“I’m a pyrokinetic,” he stated suddenly, and Keith turned to him with wide eyes. Lance couldn't be sure in the dim lighting, but he would swear the other boys eyes were violet. Keith just kept staring, and Lance was becoming increasingly uncomfortable until Keith stuttered out-

“Hydrokinetic- ice.”

Lance nearly laughed, because  _ of course _ this hot shot was a hydrokinetic. Not like that had been Lance’s wish until he was ten. Was still his wish _today_. But he didn’t have too much time to think of it as the intercom voice crackled back to life. 

“Block A, the doors in front of you will be opening, be prepared, fight hard,” The disembodied female voice, echoed slightly in the hall, and then across the way, another set of doors opened for the A block students. What stood beyond those doors, Lance couldn’t make out, as students ran quickly through like a stampede of crazed animals. Lance turned back to block B’s door, preparing himself for the announcement to come. Next to him Keith got into a relaxed runners start, his eyes flinty and cold- which Lance guessed was an apt description of Keith now. Cold.

“Block B-” Lance didn’t hear the rest of the announcement because the rest of the group took off immediately, those in the front squeezing their way through the half opened door. Lance’s heartbeat was picking up now, thudding painfully behind his ribs. Was he supposed to feel this scared? Like he was about to perform in front of an audience. Was Keith the audience in this case? Would he be able to use his powers when the time came? He felt frozen- but maybe that was because Keith had gripped onto his arm and was dragging him beyond the doors into the maze. 

 

**(Keith)**

 

The maze went dark the minute they stepped foot inside. It was like they’d walked out into the vacuum of space, no light or sound reached them, and Keith could feel his chest constricting in panic. Then the ground beneath them gave way, and he and Lance were sent tumbling to the ground. Keith wasn’t sure if he wanted to get up now if they were going to be fucked with, this early in. Lance groaned next to him, and Keith realized with a flash of embarrassment, he was still holding onto his arm. He let go quickly, and began focusing on their surroundings. There was light now, dim, but still there, and Keith could just make the hallway they had fallen into.

“They’ve split us off from the rest of the block,” Lance whispered quietly, gazing around worriedly. Keith knew Lance was right, the other kids would probably be facing similar problems, but they couldn’t let that freak them out.

“We need more light- you're a pyrokinetic, light a fire,” Keith urged as he stood. The ceiling was low, and the top of Keith’s head just barely brushed the surface. He moved forward a few steps down the passageway, feeling for the wall as he did so. Suddenly a flash of warm light sparked to life behind him, and Keith spun around to find Lance gazing at a ball of glowing flames. Keith nodded slowly, and then when realizing Lance wasn't paying attention to him, spoke up.

“Nice job, now we should start moving,” Keith said, motioning to the end side of the tunnel, and Lance looked up sheepishly. He stuck his hand up, like he was bearing a torch, and walked up next to Keith.

“Yep, right- okay,” he muttered, walking on past Keith. Keith sighed, and followed after him. The tunnel seemed to lead a good ways into the lower half of the maze, and by the time they encountered their first fork, Keith was sure they'd wasted a good half an hour. How were they supposed to win, or do anything really if they were trapped underground? They stood silently as they debated which tunnel to take.

“Lets just head to the right, if it’s a dead end we’ll just head back,” Lance shrugged, peering down the darkened right hallway. Keith frowned, looking at the other two options in front of them.

“Okay, fine- but we need to mark where we’ve been, or we’ll just get lost,” Keith suggested. Lance considered this for a moment, and then reaching out with his still burning hand, placed his palm on the rock surface of the wall. When he pulled away a sooty hand print stood out. Keith stared at it a moment, then nodded in consent. They headed to the right, and then when their five or so minutes of trekking led to a dead end they went back. They traveled like that, coming upon new entrances, marking the dud ones, until finally, _finally_ they found the cavern.

The ceiling shot up suddenly when they entered, and their footsteps echoed around the room. For the most part it was barren, but then in the center- The first beacon was there, giving off a soft yellow light, and Keith could hardly believe they were the first to find it. It was situated on a podium just fifty or so feet away, and all Keith had to do was run up and grab it. Which is what he had begun to do when Lance rushed on ahead of him, making him stumble back in surprise.

“What the hell?” he barked as Lance rushed up the podium. Lance glanced back at him, and then smirked.

“What, am I moving too fast for you?” He asked, pausing at the top step. Keith shot him a glare and shook his head in annoyance.

“No, but we’re supposed to be working together- this isn’t a competition between us,”  Keith stated flatly, his frown deepening when Lance rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like you want to work with me- I’m sure you'd rather be with one of your prep friends anyway,” Lance glared right back, and Keith could feel a blush begin to spread across his cheeks.

“That’s not true, I just-”

A figure suddenly burst into the cavern from the opposite side, eyes wide and breath fast. It was girl- a tall girl, with dark skin and hair cut into bob. She let out a slight squeak, her soft features contorted in surprise as she caught sight of them. Keith immediately put his hands up in defense, and she gazed at him wearily. He couldn’t see her partner anywhere, but they could be hiding in any of the adjoining tunnels around them, ready for an ambush. The three of them stood in a standstill, until Lance let out a groan of annoyance, in which Keith could just picture him rolling his eyes, and the heat in his hands increased. 

Everything went downhill quickly after that. Keith had jumped to the side as Lance lit both his hands to the intensity of roaring bonfires as an intimidation tactic, but the girl, unfortunately, had not been intimidated. She’d grown in size rapidly, her already tall frame shooting up until the the tunnels low ceiling cracked. She braced her hands on the rock ceiling and pushed, causing the crack to widen into a hole, a perfect gateway to the upper level of the maze. The sight was exciting to Keith, but then again he and Lance were both now faced with an eight foot beast made of rock. Because just growing in size hadn't been enough, her skin had also become something close to granite. Bone crushing heavy granite. She shook her head slightly, and debris fell in clumps.

“Sorry about this,” She smiled shyly down at them, but then swung one of her enormous granite arms and slammed Keith into a wall. Lance only stood in shock for a moment, his flames flickering weakly, but seeing Keith dispatched so easily apparently helped his bravado. It was like a switch had been flipped, and the fire that was constantly burning behind Lance’s eyes was everywhere. Keith did his best to scramble away as flames consumed the hallway, but gasped as pain shot through his chest. The rock girl had most definitely bruised some of his ribs. 

If he could just get up he could maybe force himself to sprint for the opening in the ceiling, but even the thought of being vertical was making him sick. Keith startled as he felt two hands lifting him up by the armpits, and Keith’s head whipped around trying to figure out who- but there was no one there. Or it  _ looked  _ as if no one one was there.

“You’re not supposed to help me,” Keith gasped out, and suddenly a boy was materializing, his face red with embarrassment. It was Lance’s friend, the one Lucas had made  _ fun of _ . The one who thought  _ Keith  _ had made of fun of him.

“Shay doesn’t really know her strength, sorry, and I’m just helping you up- it’s no biggie,” the boy shrugged, but startled when the ground began to shake. They both looked back to see Lance weaving around beneath Shay, bolts of white hot flames spurting from his hands. She was doing her best to play keep away with the beacon, but it seemed he was making headway in getting his hands on it.

“I should-” the boy next to Keith nodded in the direction of the fight, and just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. The ache in his chest was growing, but a simple escape routine wouldn’t work this time. Keith knew he had to help, Lance needed it- so he took a steadying breath and made a run for Shay’s towering legs. 

“Lance, get out of the way!” He yelled, and Lance glanced at him, and probably only stumbled back out of surprise, but it was all Keith needed. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed hold of Shays left leg and tried to think of as many cold things as he could. Ice cream, igloos, icebergs, the deep ocean, anything to summon the cold nestled in his chest. And it worked. As Shay had begun to move her leg she’d found she couldn’t, ice had built up along it sticking her to the ground. Keith moved for her right leg, with the same maneuver, and did his best to stay out of the way of her swinging arms. 

“I got the beacon!” Lance’s shout caught Keith off guard long enough for Shay to make another hit, and he could just feel more bruises forming along his side. He got up with a groan to see Lance running in his direction, only to be tripped by an unseen force. He went down next to Keith, face planting hard. Keith looked back up to see the yellow beacon floating up off the ground. Without thinking, Keith placed both his hands on the ground, and watched in fascination as ice crawled across the floor building up around the invisible figure. The boy from before re-appeared rapidly, struggling against the ice building up along his legs.

“Hunk?” Lance asked, pushing himself up from the ground. His nose was bleeding, maybe broken from the fall, but he just wiped at it annoyance. Hunk looked at him sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders.

“Sorry Lance, but Shay’s my partner, I couldn’t just do nothing to help,” he smiled apologetically, but he was still struggling to break free of the ice. Lance tried to smile, but it looked much more like a grimace as he grabbed the beacon from Hunks hands. Right as he placed the device on his belt loop though, the sound of cracking ice tore through the cavern. Keith spun around to see Shay had finally smashed the ice encasing her legs. Keith glanced to his right, where just in reach, the opening in the ceiling lay.

Lance had relit his hands as he watched their opponent carefully, but they needed to leave, this fight was over, they had the beacon- and Keith needed to get them out of there. As Shay began running up to meet them, Keith quickly reached down and instead of with the intent to trap, he created the slickest ice he could. She was brought down with a resounding  _ boom _ , and the entire cavern shook. Lance stumbled slightly but Keith was ready, and as soon the tunnel stopped shaking he made a dash for the opening in the ceiling. The hole was just wide enough for him to shimmy through into another open pavilion.

Unfortunately chaos was raging up here as well. Super powered kids were running to and fro, beams of light and energy blasts were being thrown every which way. Keith kept low as he turned around, leaning over to look through passage he’d come through, and then suddenly Lance was there pushing his way through the opening, half his arm on fire. Keith lept back as Lance pulled himself up, annoyance clear on his face.

“Thanks for waiting around, not like I needed help with the scary rock girl,” he grumbled. 

“I created the ice slick as a distraction!” Keith yelped, and then promptly pushed both of them out of the way of an oncoming strike of lightning. They stayed low, and Keith grabbed onto Lance without thinking, pulling him towards a clear passageway to their left.

“Jesus, we can’t get a break,” Keith muttered, peeking out from behind the wall. Three kids it seemed were fighting over a red beacon. One had electricity sparking every which way, his curly black hair frizzing like crazy. The two others were girls. Clearly partners, as they threw everything they could at the guy. Lance tugged at his hand, and Keith turned back around.

“There’s no way we're gonna be able to get that beacon.  All we have to do to win is get more than everybody else. If we find one more we’ll be set,” Lance said. Keith stared at him for a moment, trying his best to block out the noises of fighting in the background, and then nodded slowly.

“I think that’s our best option.”

“Well then- follow me.”   
  


**(Lance)**

 

Regrettably Lance struggled with being a reliable leader. They spent a good half hour fighting off crazed students, one of which Lance was pretty sure had been made of pure light, instead of doing or finding anything useful. But it was around the forty minute mark when they found the third beacon, so all was not lost, and Keith shouldn’t have complained so much. So what if he nearly got electrocuted in the process? Because the third beacon was sitting in the middle of the forked passage, giving off a soft purple light. And Lance led them to it. So it was a win. For sure.

Again it seemed they were the first to encounter the light, and Lance wasted no time in grabbing it and hooking it to his belt. He had learned not to bicker with Keith before. He could do that after. Except that now- now he was being shot at by a glowing green laser. 

The first blast had just barely missed his left shoulder. He had felt the heat of it as it had passed, and he'd ducked down immediately behind the beacon’s podium. The laser kid in question cursed loudly from the other side of the podium, and Lance had the insane urge to jump up and stick out his tongue. But Keith was motioning for him to run down to him, and Lance really hated the idea of being shot, so he did his best to stay out of range as he made his way back to Keith. But laser kid was not giving up, and the next ball of energy decimated the wall Lance and Keith had had every intention of hiding behind. 

“Hey, you could have taken our heads off, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lance yelled over, catching sight of blond head of spiky hair. The kid shot up from the rumble he was crouching behind, a wicked grin in place on his dimpled face. He couldn’t have been older than fourteen- a freshman, and he aimed a glowing green blast directly at Lance’s exposed face. 

A wall of ice shot up in front of them, and the ball of energy hurtling towards them was cut off. Lance blinked slowly, and then glanced quickly at Keith, who was staring in surprise at the hand he had pressed to the ground. Lance looked up as he heard the kid in front of them yell out in frustration, another deadly projectile forming in his hands. Lance grabbed Keith by the collar of his suit, pulling him up as the second energy strike hit the ice wall. This time it shattered on impact, and Lance was just able to throw them both into another hallway of the maze. 

“Who knew kids would be such sore losers,” Lance muttered as he wiped ice shards out of his hair.

“We can’t actually kill each other can we?” Keith wondered allowed, and Lance looked at him in alarm.

“What, you plan on murdering anyone?”

“No- but, that kid could have really hurt you-  _ us-  _ I feel like there has to be some kind of regulation in place here, that’s all,” he stated, and Lance totally would have believed him if he hadn’t been looking anywhere  _ but  _ Lance’s face. He took a cautionary step to the side as started down the hallway. The beacon’s were blinking softly, bumping against Lance’s side as they ran, and he couldn’t help but worry of others seeing their glow. 

“No- I’m sure we can’t actually kill anyone- there’s got to be cameras up somewhere. If anyone goes too far they’d stop us. This isn’t Lord of the Flies,” Lance said, glancing over at Keith warily. His roommate only nodded slightly, keeping pace as they wondered further into the maze.

 

**(Keith)**

 

“How long do you think this thing lasts? We’ve been in here for hours,” Lance groaned, as he paused for a breather, leaning heavily on a half destroyed wall. Keith shrugged, trying to even out his breathing, as he sat down on a chunk of rubble. It had been nearly five hours, as far a Kith could tell- though time wasn’t easy to keep track of in a death maze. They’d encountered even more problems along the way, and along with their initial injuries like Keith’s bruised ribs and Lance’s broken nose, they had a number of new scrapes and fractures to add on. Keith was pretty close to giving up.

“How on earth does this teach us anything? I’m pretty sure I still hate you just as much as I did this morning,” Lance muttered, and Keith did his best to not be offended by it. Because- well he’d thought they'd made some progress. They’d both saved each other a couple times, they hadn’t fought all that much- but- Keith still hadn’t apologized for what Lucas had said. He could do that now, in fact-

A scuffling noise forced both of them to tense and Keith whirled around at the noise, but he couldn’t see anything. A yelp sounded behind him, and Keith turned back around to see Lance laying on the ground, glancing around in confusion.

“I didn’t- they were too fast-” the wind picked up again halfway through Lance’s stuttering, and Keith was thrown off his feet by the speeding force. He came down hard, hitting the back of his head on pile of concrete. He’d been knocked around a lot today, and he was _really_ not appreciating it. He got up with a groan, and then glanced at Lance.

“It’s a speedster- Lance your fire,” but Lance had already lit his hands, waving them around wildly, hoping to catch something or someone off guard. Keith was about to place his hand on the ground, maybe create another ice slick, when two incredibly strong arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides. He couldn’t move, not even enough to turn fully around to see who his captor was. But that wasn’t the worst of his problems, because the speedster was back.

The speeding figure began circling Lance, who was doing his best to try and swipe out at them with his flames. But it was too late before Keith realized what was happening. The speedster was creating a vortex, sucking the oxygen from the air around Lance. And no oxygen meant no fire. Keith could tell Lance was panicking, but the true terror didn’t kick into Keith’s system until Lance fell to his knees gasping for breath. 

“Stop! You’re going to kill him!” Keith screamed, trying to fight the steel grip of the speedsters partner. If the runner heard him, they didn’t acknowledge him, and Keith watched helplessly as Lance completely collapsed. The runner finally came to halt, dust swirling up around them. A fiery mane of red hair turned to look at Keith, and he was faced with the childish smirk of Elizabeth Macneil. She bent over and plucked the purple and yellow beacon’s from Lance’s belt, and then swiftly clipped them to her own. 

“You could have seriously injured him! And for what, half a load of homework?” Keith spat, and Elizabeth just giggled, and the sound sent shivers down his spine.

“Keith, here at the Garrison, winning is everything- if you're not a winner- you're a loser,” she shrugged and walked over to him calmly. She patted his cheek softly, then turned her gaze to her partner holding him.    


“Knock him out Arthur, if you would,” Keith’s eyes widened as Elizabeth walked away, and he only had a moment more to glance over at Lance before he was hit over the head, and he was drifting out of consciousness  


	7. The Unraveling

**Lance**  
Pain- pain was the first thing Lance was aware of when he awoke. It was everywhere, an ache right down to his bones. His mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton, and the idea of being able to open his eyes was wishful thinking. So he kept them closed as he breathed in and out slowly- but even that was a struggle. It was as if someone had decided it would be fun to put his lungs in a vice grip.  
  
Wherever he was- because he still hadn't opened his eyes- was dark, or at least dark enough where he wasn't aware of light. He was laying somewhere soft, a cot probably. There were faint noises, hushed voices, and the beeping and whirring of machines- all distant sounding to Lances ears. He kept breathing, trying to think of just why the fuck he was hurting so much.  
  
The last thing he could remember was him and Keith taking a breather after fighting. They'd been doing surprisingly well, and they'd even been working decently together- and then- nothing. He was drawing a blank. But considering the state he was in now, something had definitely gone wrong.    
  
With a groan Lance opened his eyes, and it felt like he was lifting cinder blocks. It took a few moments for him not to see stars in front of him, but slowly his surroundings come into focus. He was definitely in a hospital wing, because to the left of him other cots like the one he was currently occupying, were lined up down the long hall. Lance turned his head to the right slowly, cursing the sharp pain in his neck. The room was dimly lit, but even so Lance could make out the outline of someone slouched in a chair next to his bed. _Keith_. Breathing seemed a little more harder.

Lance looked around a bit more, seeing they were definitely both in a long hospital wing, where other black and bruised students laid. No doctors or nurses seemed to be present at the moment, but Lance wasn’t really one for sitting around waiting for help. He struggled to sit up, but a grunt of pain escaped his lips, and suddenly Keith's eyes snapped open. A light sleeper apparently. Keith took in his surrounding quickly, and when he noticed Lance trying to get out of bed he glared halfheartedly at him.

“You shouldn’t be moving- if you need something I’ll get the nurse over here,” Keith said, standing from his chair and hovering over Lance, concern evident on his face. Lance just fell back into his pile of pillows, ignoring the sharp jab of pain it sends through him.

“What happened?” He tried to ask, but it came out choked and rough. With all the other aches and pains his body was experiencing, he hadn’t realized how sore his throat was. Thankfully though it seemed Keith understood him well enough. He sat back down in his uncomfortable waiting chair with a resigned sigh.

“We were attacked- a speedster, and her partner, some super strong asshole. Took us totally by surprise,” Keith spoke quietly, not meeting Lance’s eyes, which was kind of concerning. Keith was totally the type to look people dead in the eyes. It was his own confrontational thing.

“Is that- all?” Lance whispered, which was about the only level he could reach without his throat burning. How had a speedster caused _this_?

“What exactly- do you remember about the battle?” He still wasn’t looking at Lance directly, and the hands at his sides were clenched with tension.

“Beyond the ass whopping we got before we took a breather- uh, nothing,” Lance said, forcing a nonchalant, crooked smile onto his face, but he knew Keith was definitely hiding something.

“So you don’t remember how we got taken out of the game?” Keith’s voice made him start slightly, his shoulders tensing. Keith watched him warily, a small frown etched into his features.

“No- is there something important I’m forgetting?” He gave a strained chuckle, his eyes darting around anxiously.

“I just- I’m sorry,” Keith’s words made him pause his panicking. Lance actually looked at him and saw how truly pathetic he looked. His head was bowed, and his shoulders were hunched- he looked the perfect image of true guilt.

“Um, for _what_ ?”

“Well, it’s just- Elizabeth, you know one of my- or I guess you don’t but she’s one of my- _friends_ , she took us out. Got the upper hand and nabbed our two beacons. So, I’m sorry for that, and I’m sorry I couldn’t stop her from hurting you,” Keith finished, finally looking up. Lance waited, but Keith didn’t suddenly yell ‘ _Psych, I got you, I’m totally evil and I was the one who beat you up_ ’, he just kept staring back all somber. Which made _no sense._  
  
“Okay, wait- hang on, where exactly is the part where I see an actual reason for an apology to be needed?” Lance asked, squinting down at Keith, who seemed just as shocked about the outcome of this conversation as Lance.

“Well, I-I should’ve realized she’d go after me, and I just thought you’d think that I-” Keith stuttered out, but Lance cut him off with an exasperated hand wave.  
  
“What? Helped her out? Sure, if I was idiot I’d maybe come to that conclusion- but it doesn’t make any sense, you wouldn’t get anything out of it,” Lance scoffed, shifting in his cot to sit up just a bit more.

“I just- didn’t want my- _friends_ actions to mess with your perception of me. It’s happened before,” Keith said, his voice hollow as he wrapped his arms around himself in worried gesture. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Maybe you should just have less shitty friends man.”

“Believe me, if had any other options I’d take them,” Keith nearly spat the words out, and Lance was taken aback by the anger in them. He stared at Keith, this guy he barely knew, who he’d taken no real time to get to know, and he made a stupid impulse decision.

“Look, I don’t think we got off on the right foot, for whatever reason- but it seems we have some unneeded animosity between ourselves. And while I know I’ve caused a bit of it- this _is_ a two way street. But- what I’m _trying_ to say is, if we don’t set aside whatever the fuck we’ve got going on, rooming together for the rest of the year is gonna suck. So I’m gonna put aside the fact you bad mouthed me and my friend-”

“That wasn’t-” Keith tried to butt in, but Lance waved him off. He had something to say, and if he didn’t say it now, he’d be too coward to do it later.

“Putting it _aside-_ for whatever reason you did it, I’m just gonna have to assume the best, because you don’t seem like _that_ horrible of a human being, _and_ we didn’t work half bad as a team in the arena. So- what do you say?” Lance asked, leaning back into his pillows, trying to keep his speeding pulse at normal levels.

“What do I say to what?” And of course he didn’t get it, because everything had to be hard for Lance.

“How would you feel about joining me and Hunk for lunch tomorrow? Ditch your backstabbing compadres, and try us out for change?” This time he couldn’t look Keith in the eyes, it seemed too personal. From what he could see though, he noticed a sudden rise and fall in Keith's expression. One second he actually seemed close to a smile, and the next he was looking away and shaking his head.

“I-I’m sorry- I can’t do that,” he spoke quietly, but that didn’t mean anything to Lance- it still felt like a slap in the face. God- just when he’d made headway with his own convoluted emotions and this asshole just threw that work back in his face. If he had the ability to get up out of bed without wanting to scream he would, and he’d shake stupid Keith till his head would rattle.

“Okay but why-?” Lance tried to interject, but Keith stood quickly, his face hard and determined looking.

“Because I don’t need your pity, and I’m fine where I am- so you can stop nosing into my business,” Keith spat, and Lance could quiet suddenly feel his palms heating in anger.

“I don’t _understand_ you- I just-” Lance tried to keep the shaking out of his voice, and took a deep breath, before he whispered hoarsely “It’s no skin off my bones, I was just trying to do the nice thing- but I guess you wouldn’t know that if it hit you the face.”

Keith had the gall to look hurt, but Lance just closed his eyes tight, turning away as the other boy took a couple of tentative steps backwards.

“Mr. Shirogane- I thought I told you to leave hours ago?” a quiet, soothing voice broke through the tension, and Lance opened an eye to see an older woman with greying hair and dark, coffee colored skin standing at the head of his bed with a glass of water. Keith mumbled something about having fallen asleep, and then he was gone, without a backward glance at Lance. The nurse laughed softly, looking after Keith, before turning to Lance with her glass.

“I can see you’re awake young man,” she said, walking up to him and placing the water on his bedside stand, as well as two marble sized pills. Lance opened his eyes all the way sheepishly, and flopped back over onto his back. The nurse moved forward a bit, and placed a cool hand on his head. The feeling of well being was immediate, Lance felt ten times better than he thought he’d been even before the arena. The cool, syrupy feeling spread through his entire body, but as soon as the nurse took her hand away the brunt of it was gone.

“What- was that?” Lance asked, his voice less scraggly then it was before, and the nurse laughed, her teeth sparkly and white. 

“I have a special type of healing power- much more effective than most,” she said, and Lance nodded, sitting up all the way, his pain nearly completely gone.  
  
"Now, you'll still have a few aches and pains, but I have the medication for that right here. Do you think you can stand?" she asked him kindly, and he nodded again. She moved away from his bed, and he slipped from it uneasily, but his feet touched the ground soundly, and he only wobbled a bit at first. She handed him the two blue pills, with the instruction to take them before he went to bed.  
  
"Well kid, you're free to go- and I'd say see you around but- that wouldn't mean great news for you," she chuckled softly at her joke, and he smiled weakly back. Before he headed out, she handed him a bundle of clothes, and pushed him into a changing room. They were the silky, smooth Garrison PJ's, and unfortunately they were bright orange. Lance glared at them, stupid misdirected anger coursing through him. When they started steaming in his grip he dropped them in surprise, his hands glowing like burning coals.

Lance took a deep breath, trying to control himself as the glow ebbed from his fingers. It was Keith’s fault he’d ruined the cloths, but why Keith of all people was making him feel so- shaken was beyond him; and he didn’t like it one bit. He let out an angry grunt as he bent down to gather the smoldering cloths.  
  
He kept up the calming breaths as he tugged on the shirt first, and then the pants. His hands only felt mildly hot, but it was still an uncomfortable feeling, and as soon as his hands were free he placed them on cool tiles of the floor.  
  
After a moment or so, Lance pulled himself up from the ground and took one more long breath. He stood straight, picked up his discarded hospital gown and unlocked the bathroom door. The hospital wing outside was unchanged, calm, quiet and so detached from Lance’s own feelings of disarray, he felt as if he were experiencing emotional whiplash.  
  
Wasting no more time at the bathroom door, Lance walked from the hospital wing trying not to think too hard about anything.  Of course he was having a particularly hard time.

 

* * *

  
**Four Months Later**

Four months to some people is an incredibly long stretch of time. A little less than half a year. To Lance, it was rather like limbo. The four months after his first week at the Garrison, were interminable. Time was neither long nor short, cut up and made ragged by difficult homework assignments, and the freedom of the weekends. It was only later that Lance would realize those four months were just a waiting period, the calm before the storm. It was quite possible though, the lack of awareness at the passage of time that Lance experienced was due wholly to his efforts to ignore his surly roommate.  
  
In all honesty Lance’s ability to ignore someone he lived with was actually quite amazing. Over his first four months at the Garrison, he had created his own schedule of avoidance. Lance would wake first, quickly shower and dress, and leave before Keith could wake. They shared no classes so it was an easy out, and Lance would always simply sit on opposite ends of the lunchroom from Keith. If Keith was aware of this dance around him, he never showed it, and he didn’t seem to care. Which for some reason was infuriating to Lance.

The one hang up though, that completely alluded Lance’s ability to ignore, was the battle sequences every single Friday.  There the two had to acknowledge one another, but Lance being as stubborn as he was did his best to deny their partnership. The Friday after the first battle they’d had to complete a maze blind, and Lance had simply refused to listen to Keith’s, albeit helpful, commands. Then there had been the sword wielding bots, which Lance had burned to a crisp- along with one of Keith’s eyebrows. After that particular incident, there were multiple occasions in which Lance would find himself frozen to the floor during a fight.

They of course never did as well as they had that first time.

This fact seemed to be the only thing that caused Keith to acknowledge Lance. It was obvious _only_ in the battle sequencer his anger and agitation with his roommate and partner. Which Lance wasn’t bitter about because he didn’t like the guy.

Or at least, that’s what he kept telling Hunk. Hunk of course, was having none of it.

“If you seriously hate the guy so much, do you need to talk about him all the time?” This was a commonplace question at Lance and Hunk’s lunch table, and one that was rarely given a straightforward answer. Lance did his regular show of being absolutely put out by Hunk’s questioning and proceeded to state why his friend was definitely wrong.

“Hunk, if you had to share a room with a horrible human being, would you not want a little reprieve to complain of his faults? That’s all I ask to do!” Lance explained, and Hunk who was obviously trying to keep his calm, just nodded in response. The complaining fortunately wasn’t a daily occurrence, but it was far too common for Hunk’s liking, and he was beginning to think Lance was looking for more then someone to complain to.

“Is there, I don’t know, more of a reason to all of this? You’ve gotten around avoiding him for at least a few months now, he doesn’t have much to do to actually bother you,” Hunk said, stabbing his fork down into his salad. Lance looked at him dumbfounded, a bit of spaghetti hanging limp from his mouth, his eyebrows scrunched together in utter confusion.

“What are you even talking about?” Lance asked, and Hunk sighed, stalled for a moment, chasing a cherry tomato around his bowl.

“I’m just saying Lance, maybe you don’t actually hate the guy, and are just upset he- _turned you down_ ,” those last few words Hunk mumbled as he stuffed another forkful of lettuce in his mouth. Unfortunately Lance heard just fine, and he reacted just about as well as Hunk could have expected.

“Are you trying to say I- what? _Like_ Keith? That’s- that is- totally, ludicrous! That’s what it is, ludicrous!” Lance yelped, waving his hands around to convey the sheer _ludicrous-y_ of it and nearly tipped his plate of spaghetti as he did so. Hunk put up placating hands, eyebrows raised high.

“Okay, okay, I’m just- trying to figure out why he seems to get under your skin so much. It just seems- kind of obsessive, this thing you have with Keith,” Hunk shrugged, finally finishing off the last of his lunch. Lance looked at him, then down at his plate of spaghetti, then back up. He didn’t quite seem to know what to say. Hunk sighed, and gathered up his dishes.

“It’s just something to think about, that’s all.” He walked away, leaving Lance contemplating his entire existence. Or maybe not quite that but, his existence revolving around ignoring Keith. As much as Lance liked to think he hated Keith’s guts, did he-

No, _no_ \- Hunk was being irrational. Keith had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He was taciturn, messy, spent way too much time combing his stupid mullet, and he hated Lance. So Lance hated him.

But unfortunately all this led nowhere in Lance’s mind, and Hunk’s stupidly simple words “it’s just something to think about” bounced around in his head for the rest of the school day. Stupid words that kept him tossing and turning, while simultaneously trying his best to continue ignoring Keith’s presence in his room.

So as Lance lay awake at nearly one in the morning, he came to the conclusion Hunk was right. Stupidly and horribly right. Despite the odds, Lance _liked_ Keith.

 

* * *

 

While Lance’s world was sent spinning that night, with everything he’d come to learn at the Garrison being flipped on its side, nothing actually _changed._ He continued to ignore Keith, and to go to his classes and to complain to Hunk.

It wasn’t even that he was denying what he’d learned about himself, it was just that he knew it meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

What was the difference between like and dislike anyway, if the person on the other end didn’t care about you.

Well, he could concede, for one, it hurt a lot more, and this time Lance couldn’t just cover it up with blind dislike because, well, he couldn’t dislike Keith anymore then he could dislike the rain.

And as it was Lance couldn’t put his finger on when it had started. Keith was stubborn, a sloppy roommate, a shower hog, but he was also a good partner, he was smart, and while Lance didn’t really _know_ Keith, he _wanted_ to. He wanted to know more about his family, his likes and dislikes, his passions, his dreams and a thousand other cheesy things Lance felt sick thinking about.

It was horrible, going in circles between ignoring and longing and Lance’s mood became steadily fouler as the days progressed. It was only until a week after Hunk’s bout of wisdom that Lance was given something to distract him from his emotional woes. That distraction came in the form of Mrs. Anderson.

“Mr. Sanchez, Mr. Garrett, would you mind staying behind for a minute?” Both Lance and Hunk stiffened as their names were called, their feet moments away from the safety of outside the chem lab. Hunk gave a low a sigh and turned back around, pulling Lance with him.

Mrs. Anderson sat patiently at her desk as the two boys approached her, and while her demeanor was casual, Lance could not help but feel she was planning his demise. It was her eyes that always did it. She could be the most kind person on earth, and Lance wouldn’t trust her with eyes like those.

“You wanted to see us,” Hunk asked, clearing his throat nervously. Mrs. Anderson looked them up and down for a moment more then nodded, while turning to one of her desk drawers.

“Yes, Mr. Garret, I did indeed want to see you,” she said this, as she bent down and shuffled through some files, before pulling out a magenta hued folder. She sat back up quickly, placing the folder between them all, it’s contents still a mystery.

“I’m sure you boys both know you’ve got the best scores in my class, you’ve got some real potential,” Mrs. Anderson stated frankly, and before either of them could cut in with a thank you, she waved them off.

“This isn’t praise, I’m simply relaying facts. It is because of your brilliance in this class I’m allowing you to do an extra credit project with one of my other students. He’s brilliant, but he’s distant. As it is, I need new eyes on a certain problem I’ve been facing,” she slid the magenta folder farther across her desk, and Lance picked it up cautiously.  Her eyes were boring into them now, as if daring them to ask questions.

“All the information you need is in that folder, I expect updates weekly, and I’ll give you all a free period to work on it, as well as any of the tools you need to figure it out. Now, confidentially, I’m not allowed to give you any extra credit, but you're good enough in my class anyway, a grade bump will go unnoticed. Just don’t mention this to anyone. Understand boys?”

Hunk began nodding immediately, but Lance couldn’t help but feeling like he was signing up for something much more than an extra credit project.

“ _Understand,_ Mr. Sanchez?” He looked up at her, and slowly, very slowly nodded.

What Lance would describe as relief washed over Mrs. Anderson’s face, and her shoulders lowered slightly with a sigh.

“Very well, you’ll begin tomorrow morning, I’ll have everything set up by then. Go over the folder if you want, I’m hoping you three can pull more from the data then I can,” she said, her eyes drifting to somewhere neither of them could see, but Lance had at least one question he thought could be answered. 

“Who’s the third person we’ll be working with?” Mrs. Anderson looked up at them, her eyes sharpening in clarity again.

“Hmm- oh, his name’s Pidge. Pidge Gunderson.

 

* * *

 

Lance put the mysterious conversation with Mrs. Anderson out of his for most of the day, but by the end of the night he still couldn’t bring himself to touch the file until the next day. The entire thing gave off unsettling vibes, and Lance had had enough of those in the past few months. This train of thought however wasn’t good enough for Hunk the next morning.

“If you weren’t going to read it over, you could have at least given it to me,” Hunk muttered as he stuffed two wrapped blueberry muffins into his backpack. Lance just huffed out a sigh, and pulled them both out of the breakfast line.

“Are you saying this whole thing doesn’t spell out suspicious to you?” Lance whispered harshly, but Hunk just rolled his eyes.

“You think so little of me, suspicious is my middle name, but if you think I’m going ignore _Mrs. Anderson’s_ orders then we haven’t spent enough time together,” Hunk said as he followed Lance through the cafeteria’s doors. Lance glared back at him, but Hunk just shrugged, and held out a hand for the folder Lance still had clutched to his chest.

“Fine- Fine! Take it,” Lance handed him the folder roughly, and marched off farther ahead, still managing to hear Hunk’s quiet laughter.

The both reached the Chem lab a few minutes later, Lance still fuming, and Hunk buried deep into reading the data within the file. Lance entered the rooms first, and therefore noticed the kid sitting on the table first.

The guy was small, maybe 4”11 at full height, and his mouse brown hair was a wild mess of tangles. His Garrison uniform was half done, tie untied, and half the buttons of the jacket undone. He was also so absorbed in his laptop that he failed to notice either Lance or Hunk walk up behind him. All Lance had to do was tap the kid slightly for him to yell loudly and fall backwards off the table. Lance used every ounce of willpower he possessed not to laugh, and rushed forward with Hunk to help the guy up.

His hair somehow seemed to be in an even greater disarray, and the glasses Lance hadn’t noticed before, were tangled up in the rats nest. The kid took their offered help, but once he was back on his feet he moved away from them, quickly snapping his laptop shut anxiously. They all stared at each other warily, until Hunk, like the diplomat he was, stuck out his hand.

“You must be Pidge. I’m Hunk Garrett, and this is my friend Lance Sanchez,” Pidge nodded slowly, pulling his glasses from his hair, and back onto his face. He didn’t shake the hand offered to him right away, but when he did his entire hand was enveloped by Hunk’s. Lance was kind of marveling at how small this kid was.

“So is Pidge like your actual name, or-?”  
  
“It’s my name,” he snapped, his owlishly large eyes squinting at Lance from behind thick glass frames. Lance frowned slightly, not especially appreciating the tone of voice being used on him, but he shrugged noncommittally, and turned to Hunk.

“So, what super shady thing is Anderson making us look into?”  Lance prompted, and Hunk put the magenta folder down on the table in front of them all.

“It’s not- _incredibly_ shady. But, I’m not sure what she was having a problem with. You see these lines here?” Hunk asked, and Lance leaned into look. Multicolored lines rose and fell sporadically throughout the first few sheets, and what they were supposed to be showing Lance couldn’t figure. Hunk was pointing to a set of rainbow colored lines, all matching up at certain intervals. The rest of the papers were filled with lines of numbers.

“Some of it looks like chemical readings, the rest- looks like gibberish to me,” Lance shrugged, and Hunk nodded in agreement.

“It looks familiar to something, I feel like I should know what I’m looking at. Pidge you have any idea?” Hunk asked, handing over several of the papers. Pidge took them carefully, looking them over quickly. When he handed them back, he seemed to have a certain glint in his eye, his defensive stance dropped away.

“The rest is a Quantum frequency, specifically a two step encryption. It’s easy enough decode as long as we can find the cipher, I can solve it,” Pidge stated, and it was evident that his brain was going a mile a minute now.

“So, do you think the chemical readings are the cipher?” Lance asked, sitting down next to Pidge.

“It’s a good enough guess, if you both could write out the data, I can see if it matches with the frequency.” Pidge opened his laptop again, and sat next to Lance in a rush. Lance tossed Hunk a pencil, and they started in on their work.

 

* * *

 

It felt like hours had passed by the time Hunk’s alarm went off to let them know their free period was over, and they’d only just made a dent into their work.

“I hope she gives us at least a month to complete this, my brain feels like it’s been fried,” Lance groaned, gathering up his school bags, as Hunk and Pidge muttered between themselves.

“Uh, yeah, but I think we’re onto something here, really. Look at what Pidge has been working on,” Hunk turned Pidge’s laptop to show Lance, but the strings of numbers meant nothing to him.

“Hunk I’m good in chemistry, but this data looks like it’s derived from binary code.” Lance sighed, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Well, they could be both,” Pidge spoke up, pushing his glasses up farther, and reached for a couple of the scattered papers.

“That’s what I think! It looks as if Anderson has been doing some kind of chemical readings, but these numbers that are coming back- they definitely look like a code. I don’t understand though,” Hunk muttered the last bit, shuffling through the last bits of data.

“What don’t you understand?” Lance asked as the silence stretched on further, but instead of Hunk answering Pidge did.

“If we could figure this out so easily, why would Anderson need our help decrypting it? She’s a world renowned chemist _and_ mathematician.”

“So- what are you saying? She’s just handing us over some kind of code? Like a secret message?”  Lance asked sarcastically, but Pidge looked at Hunk warily, and Hunk slowly began gathering up the papers again. Hunk spoke quietly as he worked to get the papers organized, and though he sounded casual, the meaning behind his words sent shivers down Lance’s spine.

“It may be nothing Lance, but- Mrs. Anderson seemed tense yesterday, so whatever she’s trying to tell us, I don’t think she want’s anyone else to know.”

 

* * *

 

Lance got back to his dorm room late, and the stress of another school day along with the hidden message mystery, was all giving him a serious migraine. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and then fall into bed. But things just didn’t want to work out for him that way.

The minute he stepped into his room he saw Keith, half dressed and stepping out of the bathroom.

Lance’s initial response was to scream, but he held back enough so it was only a muffled yelp, and Keith turned to look at him in surprise. It felt like electricity was running through Lance’s veins, like Keith's eyes held 10,000 volts of power. But Keith, stupid, totally works out judging by his six pack, Keith, simply turned around and headed for his bed. No matter how many times he was ignored, it didn’t seem to stop the ache in Lance’s chest.

He muttered a “ _nice to see you too_ ,” walked to the bathroom and shut door with a thud behind him.

He stood in the shower for a half an hour, the water up to the hottest it could go. It still only felt luke warm.

When he finally did exit the bathroom, Keith was fully dressed, and tucked under the covers of his bed. Lance sighed slightly and began changing into his pj's in the dark.

The past few nights, all Lance had to do was remember that Christmas break was soon, and he'd calm down enough for sleep. This thought however, was not putting him to sleep tonight, and it seemed no matter how many time he adjusted himself or fluffed his pillow, it was just not willing to come to him.

It was around one in the morning when he could finally feel himself drifting, but it was at that time Keith chose to get out of bed.

Had Lance not been awake enough to notice this happen, Keith would have gotten away with sneaking from the room. He was silent enough as he slipped from his bed. But Lance _had_ been awake, and he saw all of this, as well as Keith stealthily picking up a knapsack and exiting the room.

The second the door shut Lance was up and out of bed. He stuffed his feet into his shoes and grabbed his jacket as quickly and as quietly as he could, and opened the door, with a long enough pause for Keith to not notice.

Whatever trouble Keith was getting himself into, Lance was sure as hell going to watch.

 

 

( **Keith)**  
**Four Months After Battle Sequence One**  
  
Four months was far too long for Keith. He was achieving nothing with Lucas and the others, and on top of that, half of the time he was too worried about finishing assignments to do any reconnaissance properly. Keith was even beginning to doubt the validity of his distrust in Lucas. After the mishap in the battle sequencer, Lucas had been apologetic, and Elizabeth had even given him her dessert for a week to make up for it. But he still couldn’t shake the feeling something was up, he just wasn’t sure how to find out what. But four months was just too long. It was another four months of Takashi being gone _that,_ Keith couldn’t live with.

“What’s got you so down in the dumps these days Keith? You’ve barely touched your potato soup,” Lucas inquired, his magnetizing gaze drawing Keith in.

“Nothing I just- feel like school is dragging on too long,” Keith lied through his teeth, and Lucas leaned back in his chair seeming satisfied.

“Oh I know what you mean, Mother and Father keep assuring me though things will start to pick up after winter break,” Lucas supplied, his posture easy going, but his eyes gave away a malicious gleam.

“You’re mother and father?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? Dearest Mom and Dad are the newest Garrison benefactors ever since Alfor Altea kicked the bucket,” which this was something Keith had not known, and it just proved his point he’d been wasting four months of his time.

“Well- that’s nice to know,”  Keith answered, trying to keep his expression light. Lucas smiled at him, and while Keith was sure it was supposed to look friendly, it merely looked as if his teeth were bared.

It was moments like those that Keith wished dearly he had not had to cut Lance off the way he had. Where the smiles he received weren’t double sided, and the conversations he had weren’t full of landmines. But he knew that if Lance got close, he’d somehow get wrapped up in the mess of Keith’s life. He may not have had a genuine chance to get to know Lance, but from their fight in the hospital he could easily glean that Lance was a good friend. A friend who would, if worse came to worst, put himself on the line. And Keith couldn’t have that, didn’t _deserve_ that.

So he was stuck with the exhausting and puzzling mess that was Lucas Galant.

 

* * *

 

It was a week after Keith found out about Lucas’s parents when he first noticed the missing kids. There was reason obviously that it took him so long to notice. Because to anyone not paying attention, it would be unnoticeable. The kids going missing were John and Mary Does, blank faced and easily forgotten kids. But Keith was paying attention, and he noticed.

“Elizabeth, do you know where Catherine is?” Keith nudged her slightly, his eyes still at the front of the room watching their Biology instructor drone on.

“Who?” Elizabeth asked distractedly.

“You know- Catherine, she sits in the back of our class- she’s got like silvery hair, average features? She’s been gone for a week and no one’s mentioned it,” he whispered harshly, but Elizabeth just shrugged her shoulders.

“She probably got chosen for the exchange program, ya know, the one for the Garrison’s European faction,” Elizabeth replied lightly, while taking notes at the same time.

“Well then where's the exchange student?”

“I don’t know Keith- I also don’t know what our teachers talking about, I’m not a walking textbook.” Elizabeth snapped, scooting her desk away from his. He glared at her as she did so, but he had a horrible feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

At lunch that day he asked similar questions to Lucas, hoping for more insight.

“Have you seen Harrison recently- the kind of chubby kid who usually sits at the end of our table?”

“I have no idea who you're talking about,” Lucas replied, turning away from his conversation with Alex.

“Well he sits at the end of our table every day, except I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. Is he another exchange student deal?” Keith asked testily, and Lucas’s gaze hardened.

“Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember Harrison now. It’s a not a exchange program he’s in, more like a good opportunity to travel and grow. Only the most academically inclined students get a chance to even try out for it. The Garrison’s European faction is even harder to get into than the North American one.” Lucas finished hastily, and was about to turn back to Alex when Keith cut in again.

“And how is it exactly, that these kids are chosen, is it some kind of test?”

“If you’ll shut up I’ll tell you,” Lucas groused, and Keith nodded quickly. Lucas looked him over, then glanced at Alex who was giving him a warning look.

“It’s a test, usually your head of block assigns you an extra credit project. You solve the problem, you go to Europe. But in order to be given the test you have to be head in the class. Is that all?” Lucas asked, and Keith nodded slowly, shuffling his salad around in it’s bowl.

Despite Lucas’s claims, he had a hard time believing those kids were in Europe.

 

* * *

 

Keith knew he couldn’t leave things the way they were anymore. He’d never had the intention of completing the school year anyway, and if he got caught, well, it was better than sitting around while the mystery of the Garrison continued to grow. He needed a plan, or at least a half formed idea, he was looking for anything at this point.

Inspiration struck later that night, or at least that half formed idea. He didn’t have much to go on, but this time he knew his way around the school much better. There were a set of offices near the main courtyard entrance, and if anything incriminating was to be found, it would be in those rooms.

He knew from previous surveillance that most of the Garrison security went back to their break room around one in the morning. The cameras would be a problem, but he just had to hope that any guard watching at one in the morning would be too tired to notice a black clad teenager sneaking around.

He was lucky when it came to the doors on the offices, because instead of needing a key card to enter, like the dorm rooms, a simple metal key would unlock it, as would a lock pick set, which Keith had stored away in his knapsack.

He thought through this process while he showered, judging the consequences if he were to be caught. But every conclusion he came to was the same. He’d waited too long, and he needed to do something.

He wasn’t paying attention when he exited the shower, and almost ran headlong into Lance. He was met with a startled pair of sea blue eyes, and shock of electricity up his spine. Keith could feel a blush making its way up his neck, and the partial nudity was not helping his case. He turned abruptly trying to hide how red his face was probably turning, and made a beeline for his clothes.

He didn’t relax until he heard Lance mutter something under his breath, then slam the bathroom door. Which was good, because if Lance was angry he wouldn’t be curious.

 

* * *

 

One in the morning didn’t seem to come fast enough, but after hours of patiently waiting the time finally came. Keith was sure that Lance wouldn’t be a problem this late at night, but still made sure to be as quiet as he could getting out of bed and grabbing his stuff. Keith could feel his heart beat in his ears, his pulse jumping up to new speeds as he let the door to their dorm slide open. There was no going back once he stepped foot outside. He took a steadying breath, and set off.

The way to the offices was easy enough, a few twists and turns, but nothing that Keith hadn’t mapped out in his head months ago. He thankfully encountered no guards, although he’d heard a couple headed in a different direction, apparently just having missed them. He’d planned well enough it seemed, and the trip to the office rooms took around five minutes, but by then he was sore with tension.

He let a slow breath and eased his lock picking kit from his bag and set to it. It was slow work, but he got it right the first time, and he let himself smile when he heard the satisfying click. Checking that no one was behind him, he eased the door open squinting as he looked into the darkened room.

He took a few steps into the room, and slowly took his flashlight from his bag, clicking it on to illuminate a desk, and a row of heavy looking filing cabinets. He headed for the desk first, shuffling through the loose papers on top. A couple of them looked interesting enough to be stuffed in his bag, but the rest were cafeteria lists, and student enrollment information. He made his way around the desk quickly, opening the drawers with ease. No files or important papers, just confiscated goods. A couple of phones, several sets of headphones, and what definitely appeared to be a bag of weed. Keith shut the drawer with a huff of frustration and turned his attention to the filing cabinets.

The drawers in the cabinets were locked, and Keith had to mentally check his frustration before taking out his kit again. It took him longer this time, he slipped up more being impatient, but he did manage to open it. He let out a sigh of relief when he did, and grabbed the first folder within. It was just as he was about to open it that he heard a noise from the doorway. Panic stricken he nearly dropped the papers, but when he saw who was at the door all he could do was gasp slightly.

Lance stood stock still in the doorway, mouth agape, looking at Keith's black thief outfit, the broken in filing cabinet, and the stolen folder in Keith's grip.

“What the hell-”

“It’s not what it looks like!” Keith yelped, hiding the folder behind his back as Lance took a few more steps into the room.

“So you- _didn’t_ break into Ms. Arana’s office, and you _aren't_ holding what’s probably a confidential file?” Lance asked skeptically, his face pinched in annoyance.  Keith let out a huff of frustration and let the file drop from behind him.

“Okay yes, it’s what it looks like- but it’s for an important reason. Listen, you won’t end up in trouble, so just go now, I don’t want to put you in danger,” Keith pleaded, moving forward to coral Lance back out the door. Lance however wasn’t having it.

“As if you’d care, but what kind of danger would I be from the school board?” Lance quipped, as he stood his ground. Keith clenched his fists, trying his best to not bodily throw Lance from the room.

“I can’t explain now, just go Lance,” Keith actually pushed this time, but Lance was a lot more firm than he’d believed because he could barely get him to budge.

“At least let me look at this file you so desperately needed to steal,” and with that the folder was out of Keith’s hands, and being flipped open in Lances. He made a grab for it but Lance sidestepped him and continued to flip through the papers. He tried again, and this time the folder slid from Lance’s hand easily enough, but when Keith looked at his face he wasn’t so sure he wanted what was in it anymore.

“We have to get out of here,” Lance said, grabbing Keith’s wrist and pulling him towards the door. Keith pulled back, out of the other boys grip, far enough away to reopen the folder. And it was much worse then what Keith had expected.

Profile after profile showed years worth of students, no discrimination between race, gender or power, but each with a red _‘Failed’_ stamp over their photos. In this case, Keith didn’t think it had anything to do with failing classes.

“Put the file back Keith- we shouldn’t have been in here,” Lance pleaded from the doorway, his face tense with fear. Keith slowly shook his head, stepping back farther into the room, flipping through more and more students. That is until he saw Harrison Carter’s profile. The chubby sophomore who sat at the end of his lunch table.

Harrison’s smiling face stared back at him from the folder, obscured only by the shiny red ink of the stamp. Under his photo it listed his ability, and power level and then-

“They’re dead,” Keith breathed, his mouth agape as he read through Harrison’s report. Experiment 340. Initial response to testing good. Caused massive explosion after 24 hour period. Destroyed in blast _. Destroyed.  Destroyed._

 _“_ Keith we have to go- just put the file back- and then we can-,” Lance was pulling him back towards the filing cabinet urging him to discard it, but Keith was shaking his head, digging his heels into the ground.

“We can’t- we can’t let this stand. They’re killing students. They’re experimenting on and _killing_ students! Takashi must have found out- somehow- I have to-”

“You don’t have to do anything, Keith please, put it back!” Lance yelped trying to grab back the folder, but this time Keith wasn’t going to let him get it.

“You don’t understand _anything_ Lance, I’m not leaving without this folder!” Keith shoved him back hard, and Lance went stumbling, falling straight into the desk. Lance grunted in pain, but Keith wasn’t paying attention to him anymore as he watched several glass figurines from the desk, topple over, and shatter on the ground.

The effect of the noise was immediate, as the lights in the hall and the room flicked on automatically, and blaring sirens rang through the building.

Keith didn’t think when he grabbed lance’s wrist and pulled him from the room. He didn’t think when he ran them through the hallways at speeds he hadn’t thought he could go. He didn’t even think when they reached the doors to the courtyard, and outside to the Black Ridge mountain top. He did however have to think when they reached the edge of the cliff, where below a steep incline led to a treacherous climb to the bottom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I'm just going to apologize for the hiatus I had to take to write this chapter. I was struggling in school for awhile, and I just didn't have the time or ability to write much at all. But, school is out, and I have all the time to now work on finishing this fic. I know I probably lost some of you during the break, but for those of you who have stuck around I genuinely appreciate you guys. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll be updating soon! Comment about what you liked or disliked (hopefully liked)


End file.
